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10.5.23 Foootball Articles


aubiefifty

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auburnwire.usatoday.com
 

An advanced look: Who has been Auburn's most valuable offensive player through five games?

Taylor Jones
4–5 minutes

As the Auburn Tigers prepare for the bye week, here’s a look at the top players on the offensive side of the ball.

The offense has not been as productive as fans would hope through five games, as the Tigers rank No. 13 in the SEC by gaining 358 yards per game. Auburn is on the low end of the points-per-game stat line as well The Tigers score just 29.6 points per game, which is No. 11 in the SEC.

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Still, there are solid pieces that have contributed highly to Auburn’s offense this season, as chronicled by Pro Football Focus.

Here are the top-ten offensive players through week five according to PFF grade who have played in every game this season for Auburn.

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John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

PFF Grade: 60.3

As a tight end, Brandon Frazier has not recorded a catch this season. However, he has been an important blocker by not allowing a single quarterback pressure this season.

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John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

PFF Grade: 62.4

Auburn has utilized the tight end more under Hugh Freeze, which has allowed FIU transfer Rivaldo Fairweather to become Auburn’s second-leading receiver with 145 yards on 15 catches. He has become a valuable target for Payton Thorne, as he has caught 15 of 19 passes thrown his way.

Auburn-Offensive-Lineman-Kameron-Stutts-

Jamie Holt /Auburn Tigers

PFF Grade: 62.7

Kam Stutts was expected to be a vital piece of the offensive line, but his time has not come yet. He has allowed seven total pressures, and four have resulted in sacks. He has also recorded two penalties on the season. He has split his 246 snaps between right guard (223 snaps), and left guard (23 snaps).

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Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

PFF Grade: 65.4

Gunner Britton was a highly regarded transfer from Western Kentucky and has become one of three players to record over 300 snaps this season, participating in 313 snaps. He is a well-traveled player, as his snaps have been split between three positions. He has spent the most time at left guard (240 snaps). He has also played right tackle (67 snaps), and left tackle (six snaps).

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Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

PFF Grade: 66.1

Tulsa transfer Dillon Wade leads all Auburn linemen with a 66.1 grade from Pro Football Focus. Wade has participated in 314 snaps of Auburn’s 342 total snaps this season and has been a force in pass blocking with a grade of 84.0. He has allowed one sack this season but is the most penalized lineman on the team with four through five games.

Auburn-Quarterback-Robby-Ashford-9_20230

Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

PFF Grade: 67.2

He may not be QB1, but Robby Ashford has found a way to stay involved in Auburn’s offense. As a runner, Ashford has rushed for 134 yards on 24 attempts with a team-leading five scores. He has had six carries that gained 10 or more yards and has gained an additional 73 yards after contact.

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© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

PFF Grade: 70.7

Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne is still adjusting to life in the SEC. Through five games, Thorne has completed 62.8% (59-of-94) of his passes for 643 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions, with two passes being considered “turnover worthy.” He has been pressured 27 times, with 14 of those ending in sacks. His receivers have been helpful, as he has only thrown one pass that has ended with a drop.

As a runner, Thorne has gained 198 yards on 45 carries, or 4.4 yards per carry.

Auburn-Wide-Receiver-Jay-Fair-5_20230909

Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

PFF Grade: 72.9

Reports from fall camp suggested that jay fair could have a breakout season, and he has lived up to that so far. Fair has become Payton Thorne’s leading receiver by hauling in 18 receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the way in targets with 27 and has reeled in 66.7% of passes thrown his way.

Auburn-Running-Back-Jeremiah-Cobb-23_202

Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

PFF Grade: 73.3

Freshman Jeremiah Cobb has made several plays in his young career to this point. He has rushed for 81 yards on 13 carries, with 57 of those yards coming after contact. His longest run of the season covered 42 yards.

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Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

PFF Grade: 74.6

Brian Battie has become a solid option in both the run game and the return game. In five games, he has played a total of 78 snaps and has rushed for 152 yards on 30 attempts. He has two runs of over 10 yards and has gained 86 yards after initial contact.

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si.com
 

The three biggest questions for Auburn during the bye week

Joshua Collins
3–4 minutes

What are the big questions for Auburn football during the bye week?

The Auburn Tigers are well into their mid-season bye week after two weeks of brutal SEC play. This bye week is affording the Tigers some well needed rest to recoup from lingering injuries, while also affording them some opportunities to go over game film and address any glaring issues with their current season’s performance.

With several issues across the board needing to be addressed, we have compiled three major questions that need to be answered during this bye week before they take on the LSU Tigers in Death Valley on Saturday October 14th at either 6:00pm or 6:30pm CT.

Can Auburn stay reasonably healthy the remainder of the 2023 season?

With multiple injury issues plaguing the Tiger’s defensive front with Austin Keys and Keionte Scott out indefinitely due to injuries requiring surgical repair. While the offense is suffering from the recent injury of running back Damari Alston being injured during the match up against Texas A&M. 

The Tigers have become increasingly thin across the depth chart. The question lands in the lap of the medical, training, and strength and conditioning staff as to whether or not Auburn can remain healthy the rest of the season.

Does Coach Freeze take over offensive play calling?

With the absence of the RPO plays being called during the Texas A&M game and somewhat lackluster performance of the offense throughout the season thus far, one must wonder whether this is solely a talent issue or a play calling issue. The Tigers played noticeably more competitive against the Georgia Bulldogs, losing to the No.1 team in the country by only a touchdown. 

It had been revealed to the media that Coach Freeze was much more actively involved in the game planning and play calling during the contest. Does this mean that Coach Freeze will take the reins and control the offense from this point forward.

How can Auburn improve their wide receiver’s performance?

With multiple dropped passes on several solid attempts during the Georgia game which resulted in lost opportunities to put points on the board, what can Auburn do to better prepare their receiving corp. Coach Marcus Davis is a player’s coach and does his best to mentally and physical prepare his room for the battle on the field, one must ask what more can be done. 

The Tigers have brought in several new additions to the room through the transfer portal during the off-season, yet things still don’t seem to be clicking. So, what can Auburn possibly do better to help their receivers win more one on one matchups and have better hands going forward. 


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saturdaydownsouth.com
 

Hugh Freeze offers thoughts on future SEC scheduling

Andrew Peters | 15 hours ago
~3 minutes

SEC scheduling is about to get a major shakeup.

When Texas and Oklahoma join the conference in 2024, the league will take on a whole new format for scheduling, which will take a permanent shape over the next couple of years.

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Hugh Freeze hasn’t thought about what the scheduling will be like, he said during the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. The Auburn head coach is more focused on the now than worrying about his future schedule.

“I give zero thought to it,” Freeze said. “I know that the SEC office and our ADs and presidents will let us know when it’s time to have a conversation about those things, and none of that has come to me at this point other than next year’s schedule being released.”

Freeze has mixed feelings about the schedule shake ups. There are certainly going to be some important rivalries that take new shape with the updated scheduling, but it will also give teams a chance to play different teams more often.

“Who knows what’s going to happen 2 years from now, I said there’s a lot of great rivalries that our fans love and our players love, but certainly there’s going to be great games added,” Freeze said. “But should the new scheduling ever miss a year of these great rivalries, that that will be something that obviously will be talked about, but that doesn’t mean there’s not going to be great games, and who knows, maybe all of the rivalries will be protected. I haven’t heard any discussions about the future schedules other than the one we’ve been given for next year.”

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247sports.com
 

Damari Alston could return after bye week Jaylin Simpson dealing with calf issue

Nathan King
~4 minutes

Auburn sorely needed this bye week.

The Tigers have dealt with injuries all season, and the list of ailments is continuing to lengthen after Auburn’s 27-20 loss to Georgia over the weekend.

Hugh Freeze gave a rundown on the statuses of Auburn’s injured players on the off week, as the team hopes to get healthier before traveling to Baton Rouge next Saturday to face LSU.

• DE Mosiah Nasili-Kite (bicep): The most substantial news from Freeze on Wednesday was that Nasili-Kite, a transfer from Maryland, is out for the rest of the year after tearing his bicep against Georgia.

Nasili-Kite led Auburn’s defensive ends in snaps through five games. True freshman Keldric Faulk figures to have a bigger role moving forward.

“That’s going to really hurt us on the defensive line,” Freeze said.

• RB Damari Alston (shoulder): Could Auburn’s sophomore running back miss just one game after his injury at Texas A&M? Alston suffered a separated shoulder in the Week 4 loss in College Station and didn’t play against Georgia, but has been progressing well and could be back on the practice field soon — and could play as early as next weekend.

“I would expect him back for either LSU or Ole Miss,” Freeze said.

• S Jaylin Simpson (calf): The nation’s leader in interceptions with four on the year, Simpson exited Auburn’s loss to Georgia in the fourth quarter, but was later able to return to the field. Freeze said Wednesday that Simpson’s status improved each day of practice early this week but is still “a ways away” from being fully healthy again.

“Hopefully he’ll be ready for LSU,” Freeze said.

Auburn “missed him terribly” late against Georgia, when tight end Brock Bowers had 121 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter alone. After the loss, Simpson spoke to reporters and didn’t seem concerned about the injury.

“It’s my calf,” Simpson said after the game, gesturing to his lower right leg. “Somebody fell on it and it’s just swollen. Nothing crazy.”

• WR Ja'Varrius Johnson (hamstring): Johnson missed his second game of the season over the weekend — the first due to an elbow injury when he was out in Week 3 against Samford. Johnson, who has dealt with injuries throughout his Auburn career, was evaluated in warmups but was not cleared by the medical staff.

“It just didn’t feel like he could run well enough,” Freeze said.

Freeze said Johnson looked “pretty decent” at Tuesday’s practice, and gave the fifth-year senior wideout a “hopeful” status for Auburn’s next game at LSU in 10 days.

• DB Keionte Scott (ankle): The good news is that, after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 3 and undergoing surgery, Scott is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery, Freeze said. But his timetable for a return is still fuzzy at the moment.

Auburn certainly missed him defending Georgia’s passing game, especially when Simpson was out in the fourth quarter, too.

“Hopefully we can get (Scott) back toward the end of the year,” Freeze said.

• LB Austin Keys (thumb): The Ole Miss transfer hasn’t played since Week 1, when he suffered a thumb injury that required surgery. Freeze had a meeting with the medical staff about Keys on Wednesday morning.

“We’re about three weeks away from deciding whatever they’re going to do with the cast and the pins and see where it is,” Freeze said. “We’re still a ways away before we know about that.”

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al.com
 

Auburn football: Starting defensive lineman out for the year with torn bicep

Published: Oct. 04, 2023, 12:41 p.m.
2–3 minutes

Berkeley, CA - 20230909 - Auburn Tigers Football vs. California Golden Bears

BERKELEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 09 - Auburn Defensive Lineman Mosiah Nasili-Kite (#33) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Photo by Austin Perryman/Auburn TigersAustin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

The news Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze shared Wednesday during his time on the SEC coaches’ teleconference call wasn’t the kind of news you want during the bye week.

Senior defensive end Mosiah Nasili-Kite went down during Saturday’s game against No. 1 Georgia and required help from trainers before missing the rest of the game.

The reason? A torn bicep that will sideline him for the rest of the year, Freeze revealed.

“Unfortunately we lost Mosiah for the year,” Freeze said. “That’s really gonna hurt us in the defensive line.”

Nasili-Kite recorded a solo tackle and assisted in a tackle for a loss before going down against the Bulldogs on Saturday. On the year, Nasili-Kite has recorded 10 tackles and a pair of quarterback hurries.

Prior to coming to Auburn in the offseason, Nasili-Kite played three seasons at Maryland, where he recorded 83 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss and nine sacks.

In his absence, Freeze and the Tigers will likely ask true freshman Keldric Faulk to grow up fast and fill in as Auburn’s new starter at the defensive end spot. Fortunately, Faulk has been highly regarded as a guy that plays beyond his years.

Faulk has appeared in each of Auburn’s games this season, tallying nine tackles, one tackle for a loss and two quarterback hurries.

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al.com
 

'It's the lifeblood': Auburn's Freeze spends bye week on the recruiting trail

Updated: Oct. 04, 2023, 8:46 a.m.|Published: Oct. 04, 2023, 8:28 a.m.
7–8 minutes

With Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers set to host the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs later that afternoon, one might think Freeze spent Saturday morning crossing his T’s and dotting his I’s in Auburn’s gameplan against Georgia.

Instead, in an effort that started at 8 a.m., Freeze spent the morning welcoming countless recruits to The Plains.

“I started at 8 o’clock at the hotel, for those on officials,” Freeze said following the game. “For those on unofficials, I came straight over and started meeting with them here. So I’ve seen most all of them.”

Freeze said that less than 20 minutes after Auburn’s narrow loss to the top-ranked Bulldogs.

And he wasn’t done.

Coaching well enough to keep Kirby Smart and No. 1 Georgia on the ropes for four quarters is surely exhausting, much less the emotional toll that comes with a loss like Saturday’s.

But if anyone thought Freeze was calling it a day and heading home with so many recruits on his doorstep, they must not know Auburn’s coach very well.

“I’m not saying I’m better than others, I’m just saying I find it hard to believe that there are some that are putting more effort into it,” Freeze said following a speaking engagement in Mobile, Ala. on Monday.

Freeze spent the hours following Auburn’s 27-20 loss to Georgia with the nearly 70 recruits that had made their way to The Plains that weekend.

And it’s that kind of effort Auburn fans wanted out of their head football coach – especially after the failed Bryan Harsin experiment, which saw recruiting be pushed to the back burner.

CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee said in a July interview with AL.com that he thought the neglect Harsin gave to the Auburn program was “monstrous.”

“The inability to recruit, the lack of effort to recruit, the lack of effort to truly hit the transfer portal, the lack of understanding of what it takes to be an SEC football coach set the program back several years in an era where it’s two chief rivals, specifically Georgia, became a monster,” Sallee said.

Harsin’s ineptitudes on the recruiting trail left the cupboards dry for whoever Auburn hired next.

And that left Freeze scrambling to do whatever he could to improve the Tigers’ roster in the shortest amount of time. So he went to the transfer portal and plucked more than 20 players from it – even though that’s not how he prefers to do it.

“I don’t know that it matters what my philosophy is anymore, but if I had my choice, I would like to sign high school kids and develop them. That’s how you build a program,” Freeze said. “But that’s the old way of thinking and I’ve got to adjust my mindset some now… Because you don’t know how many you’re going to lose (to the transfer portal). And thus that forces you… If you lose ‘X’ amount, you’ve gotta go get ‘X’ amount out of the portal.”

It’s clear the transfer portal will continue to be a player for Auburn’s football program moving forward.

Not necessarily because Freeze wants it to be, but because Freeze recognizes that it needs to be.

“My preference would be to develop kids,” Freeze said. “But the process of becoming is kinda being lost.”

Once upon a time, it was standard to develop a high school signee for two years. Then by the time his junior season came around, “he’s ready to roll”, Freeze says.

But with the transfer portal being a huge player, that kind of patience isn’t needed or expected these days. And that puts a bigger weight on landing the blue-chip guys – the 4- and 5-stars that have the potential to see the field in Year 1. Because if they don’t do it at Auburn, they’ll begin to wonder if they can do it elsewhere.

So those top-talent players are the ones Freeze and his staff have zeroed in on. And so far, there’s been success to celebrate.

In late-July, Freeze and the Tigers made their first big splash on the recruiting trail as they landed the commitment of 5-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick, who chose Auburn over recruiting blue bloods, Alabama and Georgia.

Days later, the second domino fell during Auburn’s “Big Cat Weekend” recruiting event, when 5-star wide receiver Perry Thompson flipped his commitment from Alabama to Auburn.

In an interview that preceded his commitment, Thompson told AL.com that he never heard from Auburn before Freeze was brought to The Plains.

Mind you, Thompson plays for Foley High School – an in-state high school located less than four hours south of Auburn. But the Tigers never bothered coming knocking under Harsin’s leadership.

But that was standard procedure under Harsin. Of the bare minimum recruiting that was being done, very, very little of it was happening in Auburn’s backyard.

An AL.com article written in August featured the comments of local high school football coaches, all of which said something in the vein of this: Had Harsin and his staff recruited more in the state of Alabama, he would have had considerably better luck bringing in considerably better talent – but that never happened.

“You really better do your homework,” said Opelika coach Erik Speakman in August. “And I think that’s what you’re seeing now with Coach Freeze is his familiarity with the SEC from his time at Ole Miss and just the emphasis on getting in-state guys that wanna be at Auburn and wanna play for Auburn and then those guys in Georgia and some guys from Florida.”

After losing to Georgia on Saturday, Freeze and Auburn were granted with a much-needed bye week.

It’s an opportunity for the Tigers to get healthy after an injury-ridden start to the season. It’s also an opportunity to iron out the countless wrinkles that still exist.

But perhaps more importantly, it’s an opportunity to spend some time on the recruiting trail. And that’s what Freeze did.

Freeze’s Monday was spent all around the state of Alabama.

First, he spoke at Birmingham’s Monday Morning Quarterback Club. Then he made his way down to Mobile, Ala. to visit with the C Spire 1st & 10 Club.

But during the time and miles in between his pair of speaking engagements, Freeze was dropping by Alabama high schools in efforts to recruit the state’s top talent.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it was a priority,” Freeze said. “The whole state of Alabama is one that is a priority for us at Auburn, along with Georgia and Mississippi. And then we’ll spot recruit at a lot of other place. But Alabama is our home state and there’s players in Mobile and all across the state.”

On Thursday and Friday this week, Freeze said he and his coaching staff would be scattered about on the recruiting trail.

“I don’t think any head coach puts more of a premium on recruiting than I do right now… It’s the lifeblood.”

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247sports.com

Bye week thoughts as Auburn preps for challenging second half

Jason Caldwell

4–6 minutes

Coming into the 2023 season, I had some thoughts about this Auburn team. Some of them have been correct and some of them have been way off. After five games and with a week off, it’s time to revisit my preseason thoughts on the Tigers as they get ready to head into the second half of the schedule next weekend at LSU.

Defense has been consistent for Tigers

I thought the defense would be the side of the ball that would struggle for this Auburn team, but that has been far from the truth. Ron Roberts has done a masterful job of squeezing every bit of juice out of the Auburn defense to this point and it has shown up despite having to deal with some big injuries in the first five weeks to guys such as Nehemiah Pritchett, Austin Keys, Keionte Scott, Donovan Kaufman and others.

The Tigers are currently 28th nationally in scoring defense, giving up 18.2 points per game, and 36th in total defense. One of the reasons for that has been creating turnovers. Auburn has forced 10 turnovers in five games this season. That’s good enough for 17th nationally.

Offense has struggled

Coming into the season, I thought Auburn’s offense would be the side of the ball that the Tigers would lean on early in the year. That has been anything but the truth. A lack of consistency at quarterback and wide receiver has really hampered an offense that needs to take advantage of all of the opportunities it gets.

Maybe the biggest issue has been mistakes. Against Cal it was turnovers and penalties. Those penalties were again an issue against Texas A&M in a loss to the Aggies. Last week against Georgia, a few missed opportunities were probably the difference between winning and losing. Whether it was a couple of bad snaps that threw off timing on short yardage plays or passes that could have been caught, this offense isn’t good enough to miss out on those chances.

Quarterback issues

The offensive issues haven’t just been on the quarterback, but there’s no question that Auburn needs to get much better play at the position moving forward if the Tigers want to continue to improve and win games down the stretch of the 2022 season. In terms of throwing the football, much of that has come from Payton Thorne. While his numbers look okay, completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 643 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions, when you break it down to the three Power 5 opponents, it looks bleak to say the least.

Against Cal, Texas A&M and Georgia, Thorne has completed just 25-45 passes (55.5 percent) for just 220 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. When you throw in Robby Ashford’s 3-8 for 10 yards in the three games and Holden Geriner going 2-7 for 8 yards against Texas A&M, that brings Auburn’s total in three Power 5 games to just 30-60 for 238 yards. Tough to expect to beat anyone unless that improves.

Simpson steps up

There isn’t a player on the roster that has played as well as Jaylin Simpson this season, at least in my opinion. Simpson’s moved to safety has unlocked a playmaker for the Tigers and he’s showing that every week this season. Tied for the nation’s lead with four interceptions, Simpson’s play in the middle of defense has been a huge bright spot for Auburn this season. While he’s not a big, physical safety, Simpson is the type of guy that teams are looking for now because of his coverage ability and playmaking skills.

Running back by committee

This is the one thing that we expected that has come true. Despite missing the first game, Jarquez Hunter leads the team with 50 carries for 202 yards. Brian Battie has 30 carries for 152 yards while Damari Alston has 26 carries for 131 yards. With Sean Jackson and Jeremiah Cobb combining for nearly 200 yards on less than 20 carries, it’s a group that has shown versatility and the ability to grind out yards so far this season. With the issues throwing the football, they’ll be called on to do more of that the rest of the way.

Finding playmakers still an issue

If you want to talk about what it takes to be elite as a team in this era of college football, you can point to quarterback, pass catchers and pass rushers. Those are the three spots where teams go from good to great. Those are three spots that Auburn still needs to find someone to step up. Playmakers at those three spots can cover up a lot of other issues for a team, issues that have been costly for the Tigers in the last two games.

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22 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

On PT-

His receivers have been helpful, as he has only thrown one pass that has ended with a drop.

Huh??? 

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Just now, gr82be said:

Huh??? 

lol i have no idea. i do not get to read them until i finish posting.

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al.com
 

Auburn football: Hugh Freeze offers slew of injury updates during bye week

Published: Oct. 04, 2023, 1:41 p.m.
4–5 minutes

  1. Auburn Football

Auburn football: Hugh Freeze updates injury status of Austin Keys, Keionte Scott, Damari Alston

Samford vs. Auburn Football

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze prays with players on the field after Tiger Walk before the homecoming game against Samford Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Auburn, Alabama. (Julie Bennett | preps@al.com)Julie Bennett | preps@al.com

Like any head coach, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze looks at the bye week as an opportunity to regroup and perhaps more importantly, get healthy.

“They’ll get a weekend off to hopefully get healthy,” Freeze said Wednesday during the SEC Coaches teleconference.

Auburn linebacker Austin Keys, defensive back Keionte Scott and running back Damari Alston make up a trio of Auburn players that have been banged up for an extended period of time.

Keys was the first to be bit by the injury bug as he suffered a thumb injury in the Tigers’ first game against UMass. Keys’ injury ended up requiring surgery with a timeline to return ranging from six to eight weeks.

“Austin, I wanna say... we went over that this morning, I think he’s about three weeks away from them deciding whatever they’re going to do with the cast and the pins,” Freeze said. “So he’s still a ways away before we know about that, I think it’s about three weeks.

The loss of defensive back Keionte Scott was the next domino to fall and another that greatly impacted the Auburn defense.

Scott suffered a high-ankle sprain against Samford on Sept. 16 and underwent a standard tight-rope procedure the following Monday.

“Keionte, I think he’s ahead of schedule with that surgery,” Freeze said Wednesday. “But really couldn’t tell you exactly what we’re looking at there. Hopefully we can get him back towards the end of the year.”

While on the road at Texas A&M two weeks ago, sophomore running back Damari Alston suffered a dislocated shoulder after taking a nasty hit against the Aggies. In Freeze’s press conference the following Monday, he wasn’t yet sure if the running back’s injury would require surgery.

But based on the update provided Wednesday, it sounds like Alston’s was able to avoid going under the knife.

“Damari had a separated shoulder. He looks decent,” Freeze said. “I would expect him back for either LSU or Ole Miss.”

While on the subject of injuries on Wednesday, Freeze continued to ramble off updates, which included the news that starting defensive lineman Mosiah Nasili-Kite would miss the rest of the reason after suffering a torn bicep against No. 1 Georgia on Saturday.

Freeze also addressed the absence of wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson on Saturday, saying he was dealing with a lame hamstring.

“He just couldn’t feel like he could run well enough,” Freeze said of Johnson. “He looked pretty decent yesterday, so I’m hopeful he’ll be ready for LSU.”

And finally, Freeze gave an update on veteran safety Jaylin Simpson, who exited Saturday’s game against Georgia in the fourth quarter.

“Obviously we missed him terribly in the fourth quarter. He had done a remarkable job in coverage. And him going out in the fourth quarter against Georgia was really devastating,” Freeze said. “He was better yesterday and better today, but still a ways away. Hopefully he’ll be better for LSU.”

Freeze and the Tigers are slated to have a light week of practice for the remainder of the week before taking the weekend off and ramping things back up next week as Auburn prepares for a trip to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers.

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31 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

Why not have someone on your staff brief you prior to posting?

well to be honest AUF just does not  pay enough. in fact they do not pay at all. lets team up salty and have a business lunch your treat?!! i even toyed with called the dailies the breakfast club but i doubt folks would care.............lol

Edited by aubiefifty
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10 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

well to be honest AUF just does not enough. in fact they do not pay at all. lets team up salty and have a business lunch your treat?!! i even toyed with called the dailies the breakfast club but i doubt folks would care.............lol

They are great as is. I read a few and skim all with coffee then revisit throughout the day.

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