9/13/22 Auburn Articles

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Auburn vs San Jose State: Virtual report card from the Tigers' 24-16 victory

Patrick Conn

3-4 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers survived a scare in week 2 against San Jose State of the Mountain West Conference. The Spartans took it to Auburn and struck first in the second with a 33-yard field goal from Taren Schive. The Tigers finally got on the board with 6:31 remaining in the second half when running back Jarquez Hunter scored his fourth touchdown of the season.

SJSU re-took the lead with a rushing touchdown prior to halftime, it was looking grim for Bryan Harsin and company. Tank Bigsby would open the second half with some key runs and gave them the lead at 14-10. While Auburn wouldn’t hold onto the lead, the game was too close for comfort.

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In the final look back at this game, we have the virtual report card as well as the best and worst PFF grades from the game.

Michael Chang/Getty Images

1. Jarquez Hunter, RB: 75.1
2. Ja’Varrius Johnson, WR: 71.9
3. Tank Bigsby, RB: 67.0
4. Austin Troxell, RT: 66.5
5. Killian Zierer, LT: 65.7

Hunter started the scoring with his touchdown run in the second quarter. In two games, Hunter leads the team in scoring plays with four total. The backup running back scored three times in the opener against Mercer.

Michael Chang/Getty Images

1. Robby Ashford, QB: 40.3
2. Shedrick Jackson, WR: 52.7
3. Luke Deal, TE: 53.1
4. Landon King, TE: 53.1
5. Keiondre Jones, RG: 57.6

The Robby Ashford experience didn’t go as well in week 2. While he led the team in rushing, he threw an interception on just three attempts. There is a level of the unknown with him as a passer but Ashford does provide a spark with his legs.

Jake Crandall-USA TODAY Network

1. Derick Hall, Edge: 88.5
2. Eku Leota, Edge: 79.4
3. Owen Pappoe, LB: 78.7
4. Donovan Kaufman, SS: 74.9
5. D.J. James, CB: 73.9

The top of the grades features players in the front seven, which is the strength of this defense. Derick Hall led the team with 8 tackles and 2 quarterback hits.

Jake Crandall-USA TODAY Network

1. Jaylin Simpson, CB: 47.7
2. Marquis Burks, DT: 59.1
3. Keionte Scott, CB: 63.0
4. Zion Puckett, FS: 64.5
5. Marcus Bragg, DE: 65.7

It wasn’t a great night for the defense as a whole, given how close SJSU was in this game but the offense didn’t help matters either. This unit spent more time on the field than the offense did.

AAP Photo/Butch Dill

Jarquez Hunter forced a team-high four missed tackles. He also tallied 34 yards after contact.

AP Photo/Butch Dill

• Quarterbacks: C-
• Running Backs: B
• Wide Receivers: D
• Tight Ends: C
• Offensive Line: B-
• Defensive Line: A
• Linebackers: B
• Secondary: C-
• Special Teams: B+

The Defensive line and the Running Backs were the top units on each side of the ball. If the team wants to beat Penn State on Saturday the QBs will need to step up in a major way.

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Owen Pappoe says he’s excited for Penn State, but ‘not trying to treat it like the Super Bowl’

Keith Farner

1-2 minutes

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Owen Pappoe is gearing up for Auburn’s game against Penn State this week.

The veteran linebacker was asked about Penn State coach James Franklin’s comments earlier Monday that he wanted to recruit and sign Pappoe. Pappoe recalled taking a visit to Penn State during a spring game.

As for the game itself, Pappoe and Auburn will try and avenge last year’s 28-20 loss to the Nittany Lions when he had 5 tackles, but left early with a leg injury.

“Looking forward to it but I’m not trying to treat it like the Super Bowl… just trying to make a better mark than I did last year,” Pappoe said.

 

Pappoe was asked about the difference between the SEC and the Big Ten, and he said the Big Ten does more cut blocking, which he doesn’t respect.

“Last 2 Big Ten opponents that we came up short, a lot of motivation going into this game, so we’ve got something to prove,” he said.

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Penn State vs. Auburn: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

Kevin McGuire

4-5 minutes

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The Penn State Nittany Lions head south to take on the Auburn Tigers this Saturday for a highly anticipated non-conference matchup. After last season’s showdown in primetime in Beaver Stadium, Penn State could be heading into some dangerous territory before a wild and energetic crowd with the Tigers looking for some revenge. Penn State held on to win last year’s meeting, the first in the home-and-home scheduling agreement between the two schools. This will be Penn State’s first time playing at Auburn.

We’ll give you the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet at BetMGM.

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The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

• Point spread: Penn State -3 (-110)
• Over-under: 48.5

Click here to place your bets at BetMGM.

Penn State’s Theo Johnson (84) reacts after picking up a 37-yard reception in the first quarter against Auburn at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, in State College.
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The big unknown right now is the availability of tight end Theo Johnson. Johnson has been kept out of action in each of Penn State’s first two games this season. Johnson had one catch for 37 yards in last year’s game against Auburn.

Johnson had 19 catches for 213 yards last season for the Nittany Lions. Tyler Warren continues to fill the spot in the offense that would have been occupied by Johnson. In two games, Warren has four receptions for 39 yards. Brenton Strange is Penn State’s third-leading receiver with 89 yards on three receptions.

Auburn appears to be in good shape with no injuries of note to report.

Sep 10, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio Bobcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State is 2-0 against the spread this season. Penn State covered as a 3.5-point road favorite in week 1 at Purdue and last week as a 28-point favorite at home against Ohio.

Penn Stae has also helped go over the game’s point total in each of its first two games.

Auburn has failed to cover the spread in each of its first two games. Auburn was a 30-point favorite in week 1 against Mercer and won by 26 points. Last week at home against San Jose State, the Tigers were a 23.5-point favorite but only won by a final score of 24-16.

Auburn went over on the total in Week 1 but came in under the total last week against San Jose State.

Penn State’s Tyler Warren (44) dives over Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe (0) to score during the second half of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Penn State being a three-point favorite on the road feels about right considering how the first two weeks of the season have played out for both teams. And that may be a good bet to take this weekend. But my focus will actually be on the over. 48.5. Penn State’s defense did clamp down on Ohio after having a tough time slowing down Purdue in Week 1, but playing on the road puts the Nittany Lions in a frenzied environment that could see Auburn feed off the energy a bit for a few tough touchdown drives.

But Penn State’s offense has had little problem putting points on the scoreboard so far. The over feels safe.

Early Week 3 Prediction: Penn State 27, Auburn 23

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

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Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

4-5 minutes

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Here We Go

After two weeks of easing into the 2022 football season, even though Saturday night’s win over San Jose State was far from easy, things officially kick into high gear this week for Bryan Harsin and the Auburn Tigers with Penn State coming to town. The Nittany Lions have been tested with a road win at Purdue, but both teams are still very much in the feeling out process as they get ready for what could be a huge game this Saturday.

Just how big the game is will be determined by what happens the rest of this season. Last year Penn State won what felt like a really big game at the time, but they wound up going 7-6 thanks to dropping six of their last eight games.

Last season it was a close game between two pretty evenly matched teams and it looks to be the same thing this year. Penn State ran all over Ohio on Saturday with 234 yards on just 34 carries, but they ran for just 98 yards against Purdue in the opener. 

What the Nittany Lions have done is throw the ball and do it pretty efficiently. In two games they have thrown for 646 yards and seven touchdowns with only one interception while completing 63.9 percent of their passes.

That’s something that will be a big part of things this Saturday with Auburn’s defense allowing Mercer and San Jose State to complete a combined 45-76 passes the first two games. If you want to start somewhere this week, a good place to start would be for the Tigers to be better at stopping the pass.

Throw It Up

Another place to start would be for Auburn’s passing attack to show some teeth. Through two games against very subpar competition compared to what the Tigers will see the rest of the year, Auburn is 12th in the league in passing yards, has the fewest attempts (44), fewest completions (27), tied for 12th with just one touchdown, and has the second most interceptions (4) behind Missouri.

The biggest issue is not getting the wide receivers involved. In two games Ja’Varrius Johnson and Shedrick Jackson have combined for 12 catches and 222 yards. The other wide receivers have combined for just three catches and 33 yards. 

There’s no question that Auburn needs to be able to run the football and run it effectively, but the Tigers absolutely have to develop some threats on the outside in the passing game to keep teams from loading up to stop Tank Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter, Robby Ashford and company. You better believe that’s what Penn State will be doing come Saturday afternoon.

Around The SEC

Through two weeks of play in the Southeastern Conference, I’m not sure anyone is even close to Georgia at the moment. I know Alabama will keep improving and they’ll be tough to beat, but I don’t see the playmakers outside at wide receiver that this team has had in the past nor do I see an offensive line capable of taking over games.

I would still put Alabama as the second-best team in the league at the moment and I’m not sure who would be No. 3. Arkansas is probably the team I would have there, but I have big questions about their defense and if it’s good enough to compete with the top teams in the Southeastern Conference. They can flat out run the football and will score points. Tennessee can score as well and is a very interesting team. 

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Kentucky continues to show it knows how to win and are very physical, the opposite of Texas A&M at the moment. That’s a very talented team that has some issues to iron out in a hurry with Miami coming to town.

We’ll get a much better idea about the SEC West this weekend when Mississippi State goes to LSU. I think the Bulldogs have the better defense, but LSU is still talented. My over/under for that game is 90 combined pass attempts. Will be a wild one.

">247Sports

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Here's a secret for 'quarterback whisperer' Bryan Harsin and Auburn football | Toppmeyer

 

5-7 minutes

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If Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin knows of any quarterbacking secrets, now is the time to whisper them into T.J. Finley’s ear.

Start with this one: Throw the ball to someone wearing the same color jersey as you.

These are challenging times for some of the SEC’s so-called “quarterback whisperers."

At some point or another, that moniker has been applied to Harsin, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz, with varying degrees of hyperbole.

But this group contains no Master of Whisperers.

I’ll let you in on this secret: Good quarterback play starts with having a good quarterback. And Harsin, Fisher and Drinkwitz possess three of the SEC's worst starting quarterbacks.

Say this for Finley, though. He made a few important completions and runs in the second half last week to allow Auburn to sneak past San Jose State, 24-16.

In one fourth-quarter sequence, Finley zinged a 24-yard dart to the sideline off play-action, then followed with a 4-yard scoring rumble on a read-option keeper.

Finley is as resilient as he is inconsistent. He shook off his dismal first quarter to help Auburn (2-0) avoid an upset, but Auburn will require a steadier hand to upset Penn State (2-0) on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, CBS) at Jordan-Hare Stadium in a game important to Harsin’s tenure.

TOPPMEYER:In defeat, Texas football sent a powerful message to Alabama and the SEC

OPINION:Jimbo Fisher is little more than a rich man's Kevin Sumlin

A DEEPER LOOK AT AUBURN:Tigers avoid upset against San Jose State, but Bryan Harsin not off the hook yet

A win would unlock the path to an undefeated September and offer Harsin a sliver of solid ground. A loss could send the second-year coach into a pit of quicksand surrounded by jeering boosters.

Bryan Harsin probably is starting the right QB in T.J. Finley, but ...

The reason why Finley starts over backup Robby Ashford became apparent on one pass against San Jose State. Ashford stared down his receiver for a few seconds before throwing a pass where only a defender could catch it.

Ashford remains an important run-first gadget to diversify an otherwise mundane offense, but giving him the reins throughout four quarters would expose his weaknesses and diminish his effectiveness.

On teams like Auburn, though, the popularity of the backup quarterback is rivaled only by that of the third-string quarterback, and some within the Auburn faithful would like to see Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada get a shot. Such thinking ignores Calzada’s pedestrian performance the last time he started at Jordan-Hare, in the Aggies’ 20-3 loss to AU last November.

The problem isn't Harsin starting the wrong quarterback. The issue is, 21 months into Harsin’s tenure, Finley is his best option.

At least Harsin inherited a star running back, Tank Bigsby, from predecessor Gus Malzahn. But a running back’s best companion is a quarterback who troubles defenses. Expect any defense facing Auburn to focus on containing Bigsby and making Finley do the damage.

In games such as this against Penn State, the quarterback must meet the moment, and the since-departed Bo Nix couldn’t deliver in Auburn’s 28-20 loss to the Nittany Lions last season.

[ WANT MORE OPINIONS FROM BLAKE TOPPMEYER?: Subscribe to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter for an exclusive column each week ]

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Five things to know heading into the Auburn game

Andrew Harbaugh

3 minutes

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Penn State is finally getting the ball rolling on offense, defense is making plays, and they have finally earned a ranking in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.

Things are looking up for James Franklin’s squad and just as they are they head down to Auburn into the heart of the SEC. Auburn themselves are undefeated but they have done so in less spectacular fashion.

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By the end of this piece, you will understand the reason why.

Auburn is crawling into this matchup while Penn State runs into it. Quite literally as a matter of fact thanks to the performances from the running backs last week. After months of campaigning, Nick Singleton demonstrated why everyone around the country is excited for him. How this weekend plays out though could determine if the future is now for this young Pen State squad.

Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn hasn’t played the toughest competition to date and thanks to a mix of that and the talent they have they currently have a tenth ranked defense. In the run game especially they have been super impressive allowing just 2.13 yards per carry.

Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

With the defense stopping the run, the offense is excelling with it. They have an impressive 6.2 yards per carry and are averaging 247 yards a game. The majority is in thanks to running back Tank Bigsby who’s containment will be crucial to a Penn State win.

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Auburn rolled out LSU transfer T.J. Finley this year as their starting quarterback. So far this season he has just one touchdown to go with his four interceptions. Could be good news for the talented Penn State secondary.

Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Senior and freshmen are finally working as one. Late in the game against Ohio we saw Drew Allar showcase what the future in State College will look like. Before getting to that point Nick Singleton had already accumulated 174 yards on just ten carries. Once and hopefully for all the Pen State offense is utilizing everyone.

Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

According to Bet MGM, Auburn is a rare home underdog. As of Monday night, Auburn is a three-point home underdog to the visiting Nittany Lions. Very uncommon for an SEC home team.

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Auburn is crawling into this matchup while Penn State runs into it.   i believe these are fighting words. bulletin board material.who knows anyone on the team?

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‘We owe them one’: Auburn eager for shot at payback against Penn State

Published: Sep. 13, 2022, 7:05 a.m.

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Derick Hall recalls stepping onto the field at Beaver Stadium a year ago and seeing nothing but white in every direction. Penn State packed 109,958 fans, the majority of them clad in all-white, into its stadium for last year’s nonconference clash in Happy Valley.

It was a different kind of atmosphere than what Auburn was accustomed to seeing on the road; every player that spoke to the media this week attested to that much. For as memorable as the gameday environment was, that wasn’t what stuck most with Auburn’s players after their trip to Pennsylvania last fall.

It was the agony of a 28-20 loss in a game that the Tigers felt they could have won on the road.

Read more Auburn football: Orange jerseys? Auburn captains push for change from traditional uniforms for Penn State game

Auburn expects to have starting wide receiver back for Penn State game

Auburn’s pass defense still a concern with Penn State matchup looming

“We think we should have won the football game, for sure,” tight end and team captain John Samuel Shenker said. “That has left a sour taste in our mouths for a year now. We’ve had this one circled for a while, the guys that were here last year and seeing what we can do better to win this game this year when they come to our house.”

Auburn will have its chance at redemption Saturday, when No. 22 Penn State makes the return trip to the Plains to wrap up the home-and-home series. The Tigers (2-0) host the Nittany Lions (2-0) at 2:30 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium, with the game airing on CBS.

Last year’s trip to State College, Penn., provided Auburn with an opportunity at an early statement win in Year 1 under head coach Bryan Harsin. The Tigers twice led in the first half but were unable to get back in front after the Nittany Lions went up, 21-10, early in the second half. Auburn got within one at the start of the fourth quarter and had a chance to potentially tie the game late, but an ill-fated fourth-down end-zone fade to Kobe Hudson fell incomplete with 3:08 to play.

Instead of a marquee win in nonconference play, Auburn returned to the Plains with its first loss of the season and then experienced a scare the following week at home against Georgia State.

“We owe them one,” left guard Brandon Council said. “…We’re going to get that dub.”

Saturday’s game against Penn State will represent the toughest yet this season for Auburn, and yet another chance to make an early-season statement. The Nittany Lions roll into town with a fresh top-25 ranking following their 2-0 start to the season. They defeated Purdue, 35-31, on the road in Week 1, and then they took care of business last weekend at home against Ohio, 46-10.

Auburn’s 2-0 start hasn’t come easy despite games against an FCS opponent and a Mountain West team. The Tigers handled Mercer, 42-16, in their season opener but struggled last weekend against San Jose State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn trailed at halftime, 10-7, but took control in the second half to win, 24-16, and avoid falling victim to a big-time upset like several other Power 5 programs did in Week 2.

“Obviously, last week we had to fight that one out; we had to play a full four-quarter game, and you know, some weeks it’s like that,” Hall said. “We know this week, competition’s only going to get harder from here on out, so we have to be consistent with that approach and take it one week at a time. I think the guys are ready; we’re prepared and fired up.”

That’s true across Auburn’s roster, but especially so for linebacker Owen Pappoe. The senior team captain has his own memories of last year’s loss at Penn State — it was the game in which he sustained the ankle injury that cost him most of his junior campaign.

It wasn’t even contact from a Penn State player that caused the injury; Pappoe said it was the result of some “friendly fire,” incidental contact with one of his own teammates. The injury sidelined him for Auburn’s next four games before he returned for two games midseason and then ultimately shut things down.

Now he’s back healthy, coming off a seven-tackle performance against San Jose State last weekend, and wants to finish off “on a better note” than he did in last year’s game against the Nittany Lions.

“I’m looking forward to it, man,” Pappoe said. “But I’m not trying to treat it like the Super Bowl or anything. You’ve got to take everything one week at a time. But, definitely, I’m looking forward to going out there and executing at the highest level.”

Auburn will have to execute better than it has in its first two games if it hopes to get its payback against Penn State. The Tigers have been uneven offensively, and the secondary hasn’t played up to Harsin’s standards in the first two games. Penalties were also an issue in Week 2. Auburn certainly hasn’t looked its best yet, and it’s no surprise the team enters Saturday’s clash as a home underdog.

“It’s a big game,” Pappoe said. “…This is a statement game for us to show them that we need to be recognized as one of the top teams in the country.”

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: Twitter keeps linking Bryan Harsin and Nebraska

Andrew Hughes

2-3 minutes

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Twitter continues to talk about the possibility of Auburn football HC Bryan Harsin ending up with Nebraska after their firing of Scott Frost on Sunday Mandatory Credit: The Montgomery Advertiser

 

Auburn football HC Bryan Harsin, for some reason, has been one of the more popular names that have been mentioned in the aftermath of Nebraska letting go of head coach Scott Frost — this following a 16-31 record overall and a 10-26 record overall during a four-year (and three-game) stint in Lincoln.

The final straw for Frost was the loss to Georgia Southern this past weekend, which moved the Cornhuskers to 1-2 on the season. That includes a heartbreaking down-to-the-wire loss as a 13-point favorite to Northwestern during a Week Zero matchup in Dublin, Ireland. After bringing a recognized national championship to UCF in 2017 via a victory over Auburn football in the Peach Bowl, Frost proved to be a disastrous hire for a Nebraska program that fired him before the buyout would have been reduced in October.

Harsin has led the Tigers to a 2-0 record this season, moving his overall record as Auburn football HC to 8-7. That’s the first time since November Harsin had a winning record on the Plains, though Nebraska’s Big Ten brethren Penn State could knock Auburn down to .500 this Saturday.

If Bryan Harsin is let go by Auburn football, Twitter seems to think he is an option for Nebraska

The ‘twitiots,’ as Bryan Harsin calls them, seem to be wanting to manifest a move for the Boise man to return far closer to his home, though still a 15-hour drive from southwest Idaho. Here were some of the links (and stretches) being made on Twitter:

For reference, these are the odds for the next head coach at Nebraska:

No Harsin to be found. Let this season unfold before going out on a limb like this, people.

[autiger88 3,777]

Ok

[gravejd 3,272]

Not unless he has a big season this year. Nebraska will be going for a big name. You can count on that. They did not pay Frost 15M to turn around and hire a struggling coach. 

[Aucater 152]

Toppmeyer needs to get his facts straight Calzada was on the winning end of a 20-3 score vs Auburn last year.

 

[eaglenest 332]

38 minutes ago, gravejd said:

Not unless he has a big season this year. Nebraska will be going for a big name. You can count on that. They did not pay Frost 15M to turn around and hire a struggling coach. 

He is struggling because he walked into a pile of $hit.. prove me wrong?

[Hank2020 3,219]

PSU passing stats are less than TJ’s, but they throw it a good bit more.

[ToomersRevenge 284]

17 minutes ago, eaglenest said:

He is struggling because he walked into a pile of $hit.. prove me wrong?

So you’re saying that a s*** show of a program would want to hire a coach who is struggling to fix a s*** show of a program?

That makes sense to you?

[80Tiger 904]

5 minutes ago, Hank2020 said:

PSU passing stats are less than TJ’s, but they throw it a good bit more.

How are their passing stats less? They throw for over 320 yards per game with a total of 7 TD's and 1 int.

[Hank2020 3,219]

1 minute ago, 80Tiger said:

How are their passing stats less? They throw for over 320 yards per game with a total of 7 TD's and 1 int.

Sorry should have quoted the stat I was referring to. In the article it gives QB completion percentage at 63.9. I believe that is less than TJ’s.

[GreenTiger 1,007]

Kinda like the Oregon rumor last year

[ThurstontheWelshCorgi 576]

26 minutes ago, eaglenest said:

He is struggling because he walked into a pile of $hit.. prove me wrong?

a pile of s*** in what sense? the roster was still relatively loaded when compared to like a Tennessee or South Carolina or even USC. I don't buy the narrative that Auburn was just in total shambles. 

[Hank2020 3,219]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

Auburn vs San Jose State: Virtual report card from the Tigers' 24-16 victory

Patrick Conn

3-4 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers survived a scare in week 2 against San Jose State of the Mountain West Conference. The Spartans took it to Auburn and struck first in the second with a 33-yard field goal from Taren Schive. The Tigers finally got on the board with 6:31 remaining in the second half when running back Jarquez Hunter scored his fourth touchdown of the season.

SJSU re-took the lead with a rushing touchdown prior to halftime, it was looking grim for Bryan Harsin and company. Tank Bigsby would open the second half with some key runs and gave them the lead at 14-10. While Auburn wouldn’t hold onto the lead, the game was too close for comfort.

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In the final look back at this game, we have the virtual report card as well as the best and worst PFF grades from the game.

Michael Chang/Getty Images

1. Jarquez Hunter, RB: 75.1
2. Ja’Varrius Johnson, WR: 71.9
3. Tank Bigsby, RB: 67.0
4. Austin Troxell, RT: 66.5
5. Killian Zierer, LT: 65.7

Hunter started the scoring with his touchdown run in the second quarter. In two games, Hunter leads the team in scoring plays with four total. The backup running back scored three times in the opener against Mercer.

Michael Chang/Getty Images

1. Robby Ashford, QB: 40.3
2. Shedrick Jackson, WR: 52.7
3. Luke Deal, TE: 53.1
4. Landon King, TE: 53.1
5. Keiondre Jones, RG: 57.6

The Robby Ashford experience didn’t go as well in week 2. While he led the team in rushing, he threw an interception on just three attempts. There is a level of the unknown with him as a passer but Ashford does provide a spark with his legs.

Jake Crandall-USA TODAY Network

1. Derick Hall, Edge: 88.5
2. Eku Leota, Edge: 79.4
3. Owen Pappoe, LB: 78.7
4. Donovan Kaufman, SS: 74.9
5. D.J. James, CB: 73.9

The top of the grades features players in the front seven, which is the strength of this defense. Derick Hall led the team with 8 tackles and 2 quarterback hits.

Jake Crandall-USA TODAY Network

1. Jaylin Simpson, CB: 47.7
2. Marquis Burks, DT: 59.1
3. Keionte Scott, CB: 63.0
4. Zion Puckett, FS: 64.5
5. Marcus Bragg, DE: 65.7

It wasn’t a great night for the defense as a whole, given how close SJSU was in this game but the offense didn’t help matters either. This unit spent more time on the field than the offense did.

AAP Photo/Butch Dill

Jarquez Hunter forced a team-high four missed tackles. He also tallied 34 yards after contact.

AP Photo/Butch Dill

• Quarterbacks: C-
• Running Backs: B
• Wide Receivers: D
• Tight Ends: C
• Offensive Line: B-
• Defensive Line: A
• Linebackers: B
• Secondary: C-
• Special Teams: B+

The Defensive line and the Running Backs were the top units on each side of the ball. If the team wants to beat Penn State on Saturday the QBs will need to step up in a major way.

Glad to see OL pulling their play up. Really need secondary to step up against PSU.

[Hank2020 3,219]

3 minutes ago, GreenTiger said:

Kinda like the Oregon rumor last year

 

3 minutes ago, ThurstontheWelshCorgi said:

a pile of s*** in what sense? the roster was still relatively loaded when compared to like a Tennessee or South Carolina or even USC. I don't buy the narrative that Auburn was just in total shambles. 

Probably anything west from now on,,,,

[Hank2020 3,219]

4 minutes ago, ThurstontheWelshCorgi said:

a pile of s*** in what sense? the roster was still relatively loaded when compared to like a Tennessee or South Carolina or even USC. I don't buy the narrative that Auburn was just in total shambles. 

I think it was definitely in a hole when considering the difference in the two schemes. But trenches were hurting.

[ThurstontheWelshCorgi 576]

1 minute ago, Hank2020 said:

I think it was definitely in a hole when considering the difference in the two schemes. But trenches were hurting.

oh for sure, it wasn't perfect by any means the wr Corp was weak and we lost some big boys via transfer but this idea that our roster was just a "pile of s***" seems dramatic to me.