10.31.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Auburn offense searching for perfection after win over Miss State

Jason Caldwell

~4 minutes

AUBURN, Alabama—After failing to score more than 21 points in a Power 5 game this season, the Auburn Tigers scored 24 in the first half against Mississippi State on the way to a 27-13 victory. Struggling to find rhythm and success with multiple quarterbacks playing and rotating, on Saturday the Tigers stuck with Payton Thorne and it led to the best game of the year to this point.

But it’s an offense that is far from satisfied. Honored by the Southeastern Conference as one of the co-offensive linemen of the week, Gunner Britton said he believes there is plenty more ahead for this group as they get ready to face Vanderbilt in Nashville this Saturday.

“Sometimes you have to see it to believe it,” Britton said. “Guys on our team can now see we’re capable of doing it, we should be able to do it more consistently and have that breakthrough. I said it after the Ole Miss game of how close we were. I feel like we saw what this offense is capable of. We just have to go do it again this week.”

The offense revolved around the best passing day of the season for Thorne and the Tigers. Completing 20-26 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, the Michigan State transfer did some good things, but coach Hugh Freeze said even his performance didn’t come without things he can improve.

“He probably left two throws out there that he probably should've thrown, in my opinion, he'll agree when he sees the film,” Thorne said. “He had two other RPOs that probably should've been thrown. I thought he left the pocket early a couple times but he did good things with it. He took care of the ball.

“Outside of those four plays it was hard to argue that he didn't play really, really, really solid. Had one ball that was a little high but we've got to catch those, too. I just thought he played really solid, really confidently and I thought our kids responded to that around him well.”

For Thorne it’s all about capitalizing on every possession. Auburn did a good job of building an early lead, but was unable to get some first downs when backed up with poor field position in the fourth quarter. Auburn’s starter said that’s just one of the things they have to get better at this week.

“Obviously I wish we would have been more productive in the second half,” Thorne said. “I think we only scored three points, but we only had one possession in the third quarter. We could have been better there. We were backed up a few times, but our job is to get a couple of first downs at least and we didn’t do that. That wasn’t good by us. We finished the game on the field, which is a positive. There’s absolutely stuff we can improve on. There is every game. We’re going to take a critical eye and fix those up.”

Britton said that means chasing the unattainable goal of playing a perfect game. It’s not something that will ever happen, but the veteran offensive lineman said that doesn’t mean you can’t try.

“Everyone is chasing perfection,” Britton said. “The beauty of this game is no one is going to be perfect. If the quarterback goes out there and throws for seven touchdowns, there’s still two or three passes that he misses that he wants to have back. That’s the fun part of this game. It’s a little bit easier to do after a win because those mistakes are still magnified, but it’s not like it caused us to lose a game. It’s a little bit nicer for us. We can move on to the next one and see the mistakes and coach them up and move on from there.”

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Hugh Freeze previews Auburn's upcoming game at Vanderbilt

Taylor Jones

13–17 minutes

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Hugh Freeze had plenty of positive things to say during Monday’s press conference.

His team snapped a four-game SEC skid last Saturday afternoon by defeating Mississippi State, 27-14, and the Tigers have a great chance of earning another win this Saturday on the road at Vanderbilt.

Quarterback Payton Thorne and running back Jarquez Hunter each reached season-highs in yards last Saturday due in part to solid offensive line play. Gunner Britton was named SEC co-offensive lineman of the week after allowing just two hurries on Saturday, while Connor Lew earned SEC Freshman of the Week following his first start at center.

Freeze said Monday that he was impressed with Lew’s first start.

“I heard this morning that (Lew) is going to get freshman player of the week from SEC Network. So, congratulations to him. He graded out well. I’m thankful that he waited till the last possession to snap a ball and hit his own butt. If that would have happened the first possession, I would have been a nervous wreck the rest of the game. I asked him what happened, and he said, ‘I have no idea Coach.’ He did well. He made most of the calls the right way. He is very athletic, sometimes that hurts him a little, truthfully. He’s moving at a speed that maybe he needs to move a little slower. I thought he played solid for a freshman.”

Freeze discussed Payton Thorne’s breakout game, Vanderbilt’s offense, and much more on Monday. Here is a recap of what Freeze said during his weekly press conference.

The Montgomery Advertiser

“I’m excited to sit here with an SEC win, for sure. I’m proud of the improvement that I thought our kids showed and the job our staff did. I think it’s a direct reflection of accountability to little things that we are trying to instill in the way we operate on a daily basis here. It’s good to see them have success on the field, and hopefully, we can grow from that. I’m thankful it was a solid game, for sure. Obviously not perfect. There are very few that are, but a very solid game. I thought defensively, the truths were that it was solid. There were a few too many explosive plays. Some of that was really good throws and catches by their (Mississippi State) guys and a couple runs we didn’t really prepare for that we had to make adjustments to. They ran some midline, actually, and we hadn’t seen that. But I thought they bowed their neck and played really well in the red zone and did well there, and obviously won the turnover battle also. So, solid there defensively. Offensively, it was our best-balanced performance for sure. It was good to see our receivers make some plays and our quarterback play with some confidence. I thought our protection was good, and I thought we ran the ball really effectively against a team that really doesn’t give up the run. In the first half, I thought we ran it as well as I’ve seen anybody do that. So, good to get one at home and now, hopefully, we can build on it. This is a scary game to me. I’ve always thought playing there (Vanderbilt) was difficult, for whatever reason. I know you can look at their schedule or their record and say whatever, but they’ve played a tough stretch with Kentucky, Missouri, Florida, Georgia, and Ole Miss. I mean, that’s a tough stretch of games, and they’ve been competitive at times in all of them. It’s a difficult place to play, and it’s got my full attention, and hopefully, our kids will be mature enough to approach this with the same hunger that they did last week.”

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

“Well, he was really confident in the plan, and it showed. He probably left two throws out there that he should’ve thrown, in my opinion. He’ll agree when he sees the film. He had two other RPOs that probably should’ve been thrown. I thought he left the pocket early a couple times, but he did good things with it. He took care of the ball. But, outside of those four plays, it’s really hard to argue that he didn’t play really, really, really solid. He had one ball that was a little high, but you know, we gotta catch those too. I thought he played really solid, really confidently, and I thought our kids responded to that around him well.”

Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

“Well, we protected (Payton) the best that we have. That makes a huge difference. Basically, we said we’re going to go back to what I’m used to. We’re going to play with some the tempo and we’re going to take our shots when we get them. We’re going to see if you guys rise to the occasion. In a lot of cases, they did. We have to continue to improve. There’s still some sloppy things with releases and correct stems, but the good thing is you can really teach hard off of games after you’ve won and say, ‘We can be better, guys. It was pretty good, but we can really improve this a lot.’ But it was really good to see our receivers get some confidence and make some plays. I think just simplifying down where we can play a little (more free) and faster was really beneficial.”

The Montgomery Advertiser

“I should have said that in my opening. I thought our special teams, outside of the penalty and the muffed kick that caused us a little field position, I thought our field goal unit was on point and I thought our punting unit, the job Oscar (Chapman) and them did to quick snap some of those deep kicks and still have them have to go 50 or 60 yards in the situations we were in during the second half, I thought they both did a great job.”

Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

“Yeah, I coach him so I’ll take the credit (laughs). I wouldn’t know what to tell him. That comes from genetics. It’s in his genes. I’m extremely comfortable. On these next few road games, he plays a huge role in getting points we get in field position.”

Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics

“Well, he’s one of the best in the nation at calling games. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses, and you want to play to your strengths. One of his strengths is definitely gameday, calling the football game from a defensive perspective and making the adjustments within the system. I think he is really, really gifted at that.”

Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics

“Yeah, he’s earned it. That’s what I want our program to get to. I think we live in a world now where the process of earning something is kind of lacking. He didn’t have it at first, but he kept working and working and working. If you keep putting on tape good things, then good things will come your way. That’s what happened to him. You’ll keep seeing him. Unless he just shuts it down in practice this week, you’ll keep seeing him. We had a shot for him, too. He was going to be open and got grabbed there.”

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

“Jake (Thornton) and I met last week, and I said I’m convinced that this is going to be better for us. Kam (Stutts) is a warrior that loves Auburn. He gives everything he can, but he is beat up. It is sad to see because he would love to go every rep. He is one the veterans that we should not let practice tomorrow, to try and get through the year with him. Gunner (Britton) was beat up some. So, we just need to rotate those guys. It is a long season. We have four more games. We need all those guys to play significant snaps, so I think rotating them is in our best interest. To handle all the stuff that Mississippi State throws at a team the way they did in the first half was remarkable. Truthfully, I expected a lot more negative play. They protected the quarterback well. Our O-line, I thought, played one of their better games.”

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

“There wasn’t really a conversation, it was just this is what we are doing and that’s it. This is what we are doing, and we’ll figure out which one can either do it or not and if none of them can we will cross that bridge when we get there. I think Payton loved it. I thought Robby showed some good things in practice too, but Payton obviously took the initiative and was playing well enough. That discussion wasn’t ugly, but you get to a point where the only thing that I know has got to be what I’m comfortable with and this is what I think we need to do. It’s not like they were fighting me on it. Usually it was, ‘All right, should we have this package with this?’ It was, ‘No, this is the only thing that we are going to do.”

Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

“We look at everything. We look at the schedule and how it shakes out. What gives us the best chance to compete to have a chance to win games? We are not always right. Sometimes we are. All of that has been looked at and taken into account. I still say we are a few plays from being right there at the Georgia game and the Ole Miss game, for sure, doing the plan we had. All of that gets looked at, for sure. Can be effective in a tempo offense? You have to win first down, which we did the other day. Let me clarify, I absolutely want to play with tempo, but can you always know? No. I think Ole Miss goes as fast as anybody, but if you watch our game against them we did some things that got them out of that, that slowed them down. It’s not like I can just walk out there and say, ‘Hey, forget it.’ That’s not very wise, but when we have opportunities to we should be ready to, and that’s what we had gotten away from. If you don’t practice it, it‘s not going to happen with tempo. I do not care what you call it, you can call it a hurricane, but if you haven’t practiced it at hurricane pace it’s not going to be what you want. That’s what we had to get back to.”

The Montgomery Advertiser

“I think both are going to be fine, nothing that seemed to be lingering.”

Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

“I think the guys we were able to get to come our way from the high school ranks, in the short time we had, we hit on most of them, honestly. I don’t want to start to mention names because I will forget somebody, but all of those guys are going to have a real shot to play significant roles in our development here as a program.”

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

“I think you all would all say that I have been very transparent with you guys since I’ve been here, maybe to a fault, but think genuine relationships ae like that. Will you permit me to be transparent with this and we can have an honest dialogue about it, OK? You guys can say whatever you want, whether it’s opinions or whether facts, and I saw many of you, that was your take on it. Do you realize we had one possession in the third quarter? What did we do on that? Got points, pretty good drive. Do you realize in the fourth quarter that we had the football on the minus three, the minus five, and the minus 14, and one possession on the 30 that I punted on fourth-and-one, but we were up two scores. Those were the only possessions we had. We were up three scores on one of them, two scores on the other and they’re bringing gut cross and super fill missile every play as we are backed up trying to get in the game. I was aggressive. I actually threw it for a first down, and we got called for a penalty and back. I threw it three times, which is pretty crazy probably. I would love, after this, for you to go show me what aggressive looks like, on the board, blocking super fill missile and gut cross. I want to know. Absolutely, that’s the facts. I don’t know how to be really more aggressive. That’s the possessions we had, that was it. I would’ve loved to have had some possessions like we did in the first quarter where we started at the 25 or the 30, but I promise you I was not going to be aggressive up two scores on the five-yard-line or three-yard-line and let something crazy happen on a tipped ball and they return it for a touchdown and all of the sudden momentum flips. That would not be based in good wisdom.“

Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

“I’m honestly impressed with some of the things they do. I don’t know what (AJ) Swann’s status is. I don’t really know if he can come back or not, but I would love to know that. (Ken) Seals and then this kid they brough in last week, (CJ) Taylor, is very athletic. That receiver is special, (Will) Shepherd. They make me nervous. You watch the way they competed against Georgia, particularly at home, I think they are a different team there. I’ve been impressed with Clark Lea every time I’ve been around him. They are going to be in the right spot. They are going to play hard. They are going to do the right things. If you go up there and you don’t get some momentum going your way, I’ve been there with a really good Ole Miss team, and it was tough. They have our full attention.”

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

“Damari (Alston), (Brian) Battie, and Jeremiah (Cobb) have all been impressive when they’ve got their chances, at times. Jarquez (Hunter) is obviously getting the bulk of the load right now and he has earned that with the way he practices, leads, and comes to work. Truthfully, we are not designing anything new. We are just getting better, he is getting better at being more patient and understanding the blocking, our line is getting better at blocking, and we are more balanced where the blocking may not be as heavy. I think all of that is a combination of why he is seeing more success.”

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

“That was our message all week. Clear the clouds, clear whatever it is, and play fast and free. If we make a mistake, play the next play and we will evaluate it. Make too many, obviously, and we will have to go in another direction. The game plan is not going to be complicated. You are going to get plenty of reps at it, so go play loose and free and make some plays when they come your way. There is no question that there was more fun to be had. You are going to get tested again. We will have some game where we have three or four three-and-outs and that is when you really find out how you handle those times. That just tells you who you really are going to be long-term in life and that’s what we have to have from our team. Let’s just keep finding a way, and hopefully that is how we are going to respond, but they had more fun and obviously we played better.”

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si.com

Mississippi State's Zach Arnett refutes report about Auburn stealing Bulldogs' signs

Lance Dawe

2–3 minutes

The Tigers shut Mississippi State's offense down for an entire half this past Saturday.

Auburn controlled Mississippi State for the entire first half of the game on Saturday.

The Tigers' defense stepped up and held MSU to just three points and 125 yards of offense during the first two quarters of Auburn's 27-13 victory. The offense was shaky all game, but improved later in the second half.

Mike Gittens of The War Rapport tweeted out information he had learned about Mississippi State's play calling following the game.

"Per a source, Auburn's defense caught on to Mississippi State's offensive calls early in Saturday's game" Gittens wrote. "Any call that started with a certain letter was a run play and they figured it out by the second quarter. MSU kept on doing it."

Robbie Faulk of Gene's Page (247Sports' Mississippi State site) asked Zach Arnett his thoughts on the report that Auburn knew MSU's signs on offense. He noted State's improvement in the second half on offense. 

"I'll let you draw your own conclusions on that report," Arnett said.

Mississippi State had 220 of their 345 yards and 10 of their 13 total points in the second half. Arnett may be suggesting that State changed their signs at halftime after realizing Auburn had figured things out.

Last week, MSU offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay was asked about the recently launched investigation into the Michigan Wolverines surrounding sign stealing, and whether or not the Bulldogs' coaching staff has any concerns over sign stealing in college football.

"I don't have any concerns of sign stealing," offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay said in a press conference. "If they (other programs) can figure out who is actually signaling, they are doing a pretty good job."

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saturdaydownsouth.com

Hugh Freeze identifies what was different Saturday for Payton Thorne

Rolando Rosa | 15 hours ago

~3 minutes

Hugh Freeze earned his first SEC win as Auburn’s coach with a 27-13 victory vs. Mississippi State in large part because of the play of quarterback Payton Thorne.

Freeze had been utilizing Thorne and Robby Ashford in tandem prior to last weekend. However, Freeze gave Thorne the nod for the entire game and he rewarded his coach.

Thorne went 20-for-26 for 230 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions during the victory which snapped an 0-4 skid against SEC opponents this season.

In a recent press conference, Freeze pointed out the positive improvements made by Thorne.

“He was really confident in the plan. It showed. He probably left 2 throws out there that he should’ve thrown in my opinion. He’ll agree when he sees the film. He had 2 other RPOs that probably should’ve been thrown. I thought he left the pocket a little early a couple times but he did good things with it. He took care of the ball,” Freeze said. “But outside of those 4 plays, it was hard to argue that he didn’t play really, really, really solid…Our kids responded to that around him well.”

Auburn will aim to build some momentum when they travel to take on host Vanderbilt on Saturday. Vanderbilt has yet to win an SEC game this season but the all-time series is tied 21-21-1 between the programs.

Auburn at Vanderbilt will get underway at 4 p.m. EST (SEC Network).

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whnt.com

 

Pair of Auburn lineman win SEC weekly awards

Josiah Elmore

2–3 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. (WHNT) — After a 27-13 victory over Mississippi State, a pair of Auburn offensive linemen picked up SEC weekly awards.

Senior offensive lineman Gunnar Britton earned SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week, his second weekly award this season.

Britton, who transferred to Auburn from Western Kentucky this past offseason, played a major role in the Tigers’ win. He did not allow any quarterback hits or pressures and did not commit a penalty or miss an assignment. Britton was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after the Tigers’ week one 59-14 win over UMass.

Alongside Britton on the offensive line, freshman Connor Lew made his first career start and impressed not only Hugh Freeze, but the entire conference.

The SEC named him the SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance. Lew didn’t allow a sack and helped the Tigers offense gain 416 total yards.

“He did really well, made most of the calls the right way,” said Freeze. “He’s very athletic. Sometimes that hurts him a little, truthfully. He’s moving at a pace that, maybe he needs to move a little slower, and gets himself in a little bad position of some of the blocks he has to sustain for a length of time but I thought he played really solid for a freshman.”

Lew played a fairly clean game from the center position, but did have one bad snap that came late in the game. Freeze joked that he was glad that it came when it did.

“I’m thankful that he waited until the last possession to snap a ball and hit his own rear end. ’cause if that would’ve happened the first possession I would been a nervous wreck,” Freeze chuckled. “I asked him ‘What happened?’ and he said ‘I have no idea. I have no clue coach.'”

Lew, a Georgia native, was ranked as a four-star recruit and a top 20 interior offensive lineman coming out of high school, according to 247sports. He was previously committed to play at Miami before flipping to Auburn after Freeze was hired.

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Rewinding everything Hugh Freeze said about the win over MSU, looking ahead to Vanderbilt

Updated: Oct. 30, 2023, 11:25 a.m.|Published: Oct. 30, 2023, 10:56 a.m.

4–6 minutes

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Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA football game against Mississippi State Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Auburn, Alabama. (Julie Bennett | preps@al.com)Julie Bennett | preps@al.com

For the first Monday in five weeks, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze will meet with the media on the heels of a win after the Tigers beat Mississippi State 27-13 Saturday to even their season record at 4-4 on the season and pick up their first SEC win.

Freeze and the Tigers now look ahead to a trip to Nashville as they hope to break open the series stalemate with Vanderbilt in a game that will kickoff at 3:00 p.m. from First Bank Stadium and will be televised on SEC Network. The Tigers and Commodores’ series record currently sits at 21-21-1.

Here’s everything Freeze said during his Monday morning press conference from Auburn’s Woltosz Football Performance Center:

— In his opening statement, Freeze said he’s excited to sit up here with a SEC win. “This is a direct refection of accountability of little things that we’re trying to instill.”

— Freeze calls the game vs Mississippi State “very solid”. Not perfect, but very solid. Adds that there were too many explosive plays given up by the defense. Offensively, Freeze calls it Auburn’s “best balanced performance, for sure.”

— Freeze says the Vanderbilt game is a “scary game” for him. Adds it’s always been a difficult place to play for him and that its got his full attention.

— Freeze says QB Payton Thorne was really confident in Saturday’s plan and it showed. Says there was four plays that Thorne missed on.

— Freeze says Thorne was protected the best that he’s been in any game this season. Adds that playing with tempo and taking shots downfield, which Freeze says he’s most comfortable doing, also helped Thorne and the wide receivers’ confidence.

— Freeze adds that Auburn’s special teams unit was one Freeze was really happy with on Saturday. He adds that kicker Alex McPherson has Freeze’s full confidence during games.

— Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts is one of the best in the nation in gameday defensive play calling, Freeze says.

— Freeze on the offensive line combinations: Says Kam Stutts is a warrior who loves Auburn, but he’s beat up. Says Gunner Britton was also banged up, so he met with Auburn’s OL coach to encourage a rotation along the offensive line. Freeze says he expected a lot more negative plays against Mississippi State, so he was pleased with that group on Saturday. “Our O-Line, I thought, played one of their better games.”

— On freshman center Conner Lew: “Really solid.” Both Lew and Britton are set to be named Players of the Week by the SEC. Adds that they graded out well.

— On improving the comfort of Payton Thorne: Freeze says he met with his offensive coaches and essentially told them that the only thing they’re going to is use one quarterback. Adds that Thorne really loved it.

— “I absolutely want to play with tempo. But can you always? No,” Freeze says. “But when we have the opportunities to, we should be ready to. And that’s what we had gotten away from.”

— Freeze says both Izavion Miller and Marcus Harris, despite getting dinged up against Mississippi State, should be good to go against Vanderbilt. “Nothing lingering,” Freeze said.

— Freeze said being backed up deep in Auburn’s own territory, paired with the defensive adjustments Mississippi State made in the second half of Saturday’s game prevented the Tigers from coming away with more points in the second half of Saturday’s game.

— “I’ve been there with a really good Ole Miss team and it was tough,” Freeze said of playing Vanderbilt on the road. “They’ve got our full attention.”

— Freeze says Auburn isn’t designing anything new in terms of the run game, but rather just getting better. Adds that the offensive line is getting better, as well as running back Jarquez Hunter.

— “There was no question there was more fun being had,” Freeze said of Auburn’s production on offense on Saturday. “They had more fun and obviously we played better.”

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247sports.com

Exit Survey Parting thoughts on Auburns win over Mississippi State

Nathan King

9–12 minutes

Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers, areas of concern and exiting analysis on the win at Jordan-Hare Stadium

Auburn's passing game finally gave fans some reason for excitement, as Payton Thorne threw three first-half touchdowns to generate a lead big enough to take care of Mississippi State on Saturday, 27-13. The victory is obviously an important one, as the first SEC win of the season for Hugh Freeze's team after four straight losses in league play.

Two of our football reporters — Jason Caldwell and Nathan King — took another look at Auburn's win over the Bulldogs with some superlatives and final thoughts from the game in the Week 9 edition of the Auburn Undercover Exit Survey.

Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers, areas of concern and exiting analysis on the win at Jordan-Hare Stadium — and what our observations could mean for the Tigers moving forward into a favorable final third of the season for their bowl outlook and overall record.

PLAY OF THE GAME (OFFENSE)

Jason: "It has to be the throw from Payton Thorne to Ja'Varrius Johnson for the first quarter touchdown. Johnson is the most electric of Auburn’s wide receivers and not having him healthy for much of the last month has been a big blow to the offense. His out and up got him some separation and Thorne’s throw was right on the money."

Nathan: "I'm going to pick Thorne's 27-yard touchdown to Shane Hooks on the opening drive. Freeze has been craving better execution from his outside receivers on those RPO fades, after failing to hit on most of them this season. Thorne identified his read and quickly put the ball in a position for Hooks to go up and get it, and the Jackson State transfer impressively caught it through a facemask and dragged the defender across the goal line. From that first series, it was clear Thorne and his receivers were going to be in the best rhythm we've seen this season against a quality opponent."

PLAY OF THE GAME (DEFENSE)

Jason: "There’s no question for me that it was the fourth down stop at the end of the first half that led to a huge touchdown for the Auburn offense. Jalen McLeod did a great job of staying at home and forcing the Miss State quarterback to try to change directions. He lost his footing and it was a huge loss and huge play for the Tigers."

Nathan: "It wasn't until Mississippi State's fifth trip into Auburn territory that it finally got in the end zone Saturday, and a big stop before halftime was a reason why. On a fourth-and-1, Mike Wright was strung out by McLeod on what was otherwise a good-looking play call. Wright stumbled, sure, but the Bulldogs' turnover on downs was not only huge for keeping them off the board, but also to give the ball back to Auburn's offense, which scored to go ahead 24-3 with nine seconds left in the first half. That touchdown proved to be some nice insurance for Auburn down the stretch of the game."

HELMET STICKER (OFFENSE)

Jason: "Jarquez Hunter played really well again, but Payton Thorne had a strong day in every area. Like most quarterbacks, there were a couple of plays he could have made, but it was a huge step in the right direction for him on Saturday."

Nathan: "Payton Thorne, welcome to the show. For the first time against a Power Five opponent this season, Thorne consistently looked like the poised and precise quarterback Auburn hoped he'd be when the grabbed the fifth-year senior out of the transfer portal. There's a handful of stats that illustrate just how good of a game he had, doing most of his work in the first half, but the simple fact that he and his pass-catchers were on the same page for multiple touchdown drives was a huge step for the maturation of an inconsistent passing game, and the confidence of an often-criticized QB."

HELMET STICKER (DEFENSE)

Jason: "Linebacker Eugene Asante was credited with 10 total tackles, two quarterback pressures and a tackle for a loss against Mississippi State. He continues his strong season for the Auburn defense."

Nathan: "Dare I say Keionte Scott looks even better after returning from his ankle procedure? He's now been targeted 12 times over the last two games and has given up only five catches, not to mention his seven tackles, including a tackle for loss, plus a pass breakup against Mississippi State. Scott was laying the boom early in the game and seems to have hit another gear for the Tigers in the latter portion of the season, which is obviously an incredible sign for a player whose status was in serious question when he suffered that high-ankle sprain in Week 3."

HELMET STICKER (SPECIAL TEAMS)

Jason: "Despite dealing with muscle strain on his left leg, kicker Alex McPherson had another strong day with field goals of 39 and 49 yards. He was also strong on kickoffs with the dangerous Lideatrick Griffin limited to just one return for 21 yards."

Nathan: "McPherson continues to look all the part of the ultra-talented kicker he was expected to be. Still perfect on the season, McPherson was 2-for-2 on Saturday, and he executed Freeze's previously discussed plan to keep Tulu Griffin from lighting up the game with a big return, as Griffin was only able to return one kick in the game."

WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP FORWARD

Jason: "That’s easily the offense following a strong first half against a solid Mississippi State defense. The second half wasn’t as strong, but the Tigers still managed to score 27 points and 416 yards of total offense."

Nathan: "When deployed, this passing game was as efficient as Auburn could have hoped after its struggles in the two games since the bye week — and really for the majority of the season. Yes, the opposition was Mississippi State, which just so happens to have the least efficient passing defense, measured by average opposing QBR, in the Power Five after Saturday's game. If the Tigers hadn't looked good throwing the football against this team, they may not have against anyone for the rest of the year. Still, Auburn's execution had been lacking in even the simplest of areas at quarterback and receiver, so to see tangible improvement was unquestionably important. And after all, it's not as if Auburn has a murderer's row of opponents lined up here in the near future. Auburn can win at least a couple more games if Thorne and co. are solid, but nothing special."

WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP BACK

Jason: "The Tigers continue to allow too many rushing yards, giving up 184 to Mississippi State without its best running back on the field. That makes it tough to get off the field if teams have success on first and second down."

Nathan: "Wright had a couple too many explosive plays with his arm, which Auburn probably didn't expect facing a backup quarterback, and the Bulldogs gashed for a few big runs in the second half, too. Mississippi State finished with 184 yards on the ground without leading rusher Jo'Quavious Marks, and even with all its timely stops in the game, the Auburn defense can't be happy with aspect of its performance."

BIGGEST SURPRISE?

Jason: "Most will say the offensive performance, but I thought this was a team that had that in them if they finally got some tempo going. I do think Thorne was able to spread the ball around more than I expected."

Nathan: "This felt all week like Auburn's game to finally get into a groove, but I still didn't expect Thorne to go out and post one of the most efficient stat lines for an Auburn quarterback in the past decade. His adjusted completion rate was a whopping 91.3 percent, as he only had two incompletions that weren't throwaways or drops. Thorne said this week that "enough is enough" for this passing game, and Freeze said his message to the quarterback was to "put up or shut up." Thorne delivered in a game where the Tigers severely needed that confidence boost through the air."

Did this outcome affect your thoughts on this Auburn team?

Jason: "It didn’t really change anything for me. I thought this was a team that could be 7-5 or 8-4 if things fell right. That’s still in play for the Tigers at the moment."

Nathan: "So ... is Auburn about to win four straight games? If the Tigers are finding even a somewhat decent passing game at this point in the season, the schedule sets up to possibly win every game until the Iron Bowl. The toughest test will be the trip to Arkansas, considering the Razorbacks have a stout defensive front and a veteran QB that's still capable of creating magic even in a lost season for that program. But a bowl game for Auburn was likely locked up with the win over Mississippi State, and seven wins are very attainable. Now, there's a lot of football left, and this team is very capable of crumbling at Vanderbilt — after all, the Tigers have been dreadful on the road offensively all season.  But by the looks of it, Freeze could find himself in a position where, record-wise, his first Auburn team was able to meet or slightly outperform expectations, and perhaps more importantly, did so while improving at the end of the season instead of declining."

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Auburn still positioned well with 2025 OT Tavaris Dice after latest visit

Dice previously visited for the Samford and Georgia games.

Having already visited for the Samford and Georgia games earlier this year, 2025 offensive tackle Tavaris Dice is starting to get pretty familiar with Auburn after returning for the Mississippi State game on Saturday.

On Saturday, he got to watch the Tigers take down the Bulldogs 27-13 snapping a four-game losing streak and picking up their first SEC win of the season.

To read this full article and more, subscribe now —

[aubiefifty 17,492]

auburnwire.usatoday.com

Auburn vs. Vanderbilt: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

JD McCarthy

3–4 minutes

For the second week in a row, the Auburn Tigers are favored in a football time. This time, despite playing on the road, they are 13-point favorites over the Vanderbilt Commodores, according to BetMGM.

Auburn (4-4, 1-4 SEC) is coming into the game with some momentum after beating Mississippi State 27-13 last week to snap a four-game losing streak a pick up its first SEC win of the season.

The story of the game was Auburn’s offensive success in the first half as the Tigers scored 24 points and racked up 301 yards of offense in what was their best half of football this season.

Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5) has lost seven straight games and is still looking for their first SEC win of the season.

Here is everything you need to know before placing any bets on the game.

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

Auburn Point Spread: -13 (-110)

Vanderbilt Point Spread: +13 (-110)

Over/Under: 49.5 (-110)

Click here to place your bets at BetMGM.

Auburn

DL Mosiah Nasili-KiteBicepOut for Season

Vanderbilt

QB AJ SwannElbowQuestionable

CB BJ AndersonUndisclosedQuestionable

WR Quincy Skinner Jr.UndisclosedQuestionable

LB CJ TaylorUndisclosedQuestionable

The Tigers have struggled away from Jordan-Hare Stadium this season, they should have plenty of fans make the trip to Nashville and could even have more of an advantage than Vanderbilt.

Auburn should be able to build on the offensive success from the first half of last week’s game against a Vanderbilt team that is lacking in talent.  Expect both sides of the ball to dominate and for the Tigers to pick up their second straight win.

Prediction: Auburn 35, Vanderbilt 10

Best Bet: Auburn -13

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See applicable operator site for its terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21 or older to gamble.

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247sports.com

Jason Caldwells Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

12–15 minutes

Talking Auburn football and Auburn basketball.

Confidence builder

It’s hard to put a value on just how important it is to just win a game and have some success on offense for this Auburn team. One word that comes to mind for me is swag. It’s something that coach Hugh Freeze mentioned after Saturday’s win and I agree with him. I don’t think you need to have Deion Sanders’ swag, but it doesn’t hurt to have the type of swag that comes with having success and feeling good about what you’re doing on the field.

That’s what this Auburn offense has missed for much of the 2023 season and honestly, for much of the last few years. This offense still hasn’t done enough to think they’re going to score 50 points in a game anytime soon and become unstoppable, but starting to make just a few plays in the passing game can make everyone feel a little bit better when they walk into the building and turn on the film to watch the previous game.

It’s probably true for Payton Thorne as much as anyone. He wasn’t perfect in Saturday’s win, but he played pretty darn good throwing the football and also making some plays with his legs. That goes hand in hand with the Auburn offensive line giving him time to throw the football against a Mississippi State defense that wanted to bring pressure.

We’ll see if they can carry it over to this week’s game at Vanderbilt, but finally making some plays and feeling good about themselves isn’t a bad place to start the plan for the Commodores.

Defense just continues to gut it out

It’s not going to be a defense that leads the SEC in sacks or is dominating people at the point of attack, but all the Tigers continue to do is just compete at a very high level. That’s a defensive group that you can win with, as we’re seeing with this year’s Auburn team. Other than the LSU game, this is a group that has played well enough to win despite lacking some guys on the front seven. 

It makes it really tough to finish games if you can’t consistently rush the passer, but against Mississippi State this Auburn defense made the plays when it had to. It wasn’t always pretty and the Bulldogs had way too much success on the ground, but coach Ron Roberts’ group answered the bell once again. If they can do that the rest of the season, then this is a team that will have a chance to finish on a high note.

Time for the first look at the basketball Tigers

After taking on Furman in a private scrimmage on Sunday, coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers will get an opportunity for a rehearsal in front of the fans on Wednesday night when AUM comes to Neville Arena for a 7 p.m. tip for the exhibition game. It’s an opportunity to see how this team has continued to come together and also get a look at some of the rotations for the Tigers. 

I’m especially looking forward to seeing guard Denver Jones against another opponent. I have been impressed by him since he got on campus and he could be a true scorer at the two guard spot for this team. If he can deliver the consistent outside shooting Auburn has been missing, this is a team that can make some noise.

Exit Survey: Parting thoughts on Auburn's win over Mississippi State

Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers, areas of concern and exiting analysis on the win at Jordan-Hare Stadium

Auburn's passing game finally gave fans some reason for excitement, as Payton Thorne threw three first-half touchdowns to generate a lead big enough to take care of Mississippi State on Saturday, 27-13. The victory is obviously an important one, as the first SEC win of the season for Hugh Freeze's team after four straight losses in league play.

Two of our football reporters — Jason Caldwell and Nathan King — took another look at Auburn's win over the Bulldogs with some superlatives and final thoughts from the game in the Week 9 edition of the Auburn Undercover Exit Survey.

Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers, areas of concern and exiting analysis on the win at Jordan-Hare Stadium — and what our observations could mean for the Tigers moving forward into a favorable final third of the season for their bowl outlook and overall record.

PLAY OF THE GAME (OFFENSE)

Jason: "It has to be the throw from Payton Thorne to Ja'Varrius Johnson for the first quarter touchdown. Johnson is the most electric of Auburn’s wide receivers and not having him healthy for much of the last month has been a big blow to the offense. His out and up got him some separation and Thorne’s throw was right on the money."

Nathan: "I'm going to pick Thorne's 27-yard touchdown to Shane Hooks on the opening drive. Freeze has been craving better execution from his outside receivers on those RPO fades, after failing to hit on most of them this season. Thorne identified his read and quickly put the ball in a position for Hooks to go up and get it, and the Jackson State transfer impressively caught it through a facemask and dragged the defender across the goal line. From that first series, it was clear Thorne and his receivers were going to be in the best rhythm we've seen this season against a quality opponent."

PLAY OF THE GAME (DEFENSE)

Jason: "There’s no question for me that it was the fourth down stop at the end of the first half that led to a huge touchdown for the Auburn offense. Jalen McLeod did a great job of staying at home and forcing the Miss State quarterback to try to change directions. He lost his footing and it was a huge loss and huge play for the Tigers."

Nathan: "It wasn't until Mississippi State's fifth trip into Auburn territory that it finally got in the end zone Saturday, and a big stop before halftime was a reason why. On a fourth-and-1, Mike Wright was strung out by McLeod on what was otherwise a good-looking play call. Wright stumbled, sure, but the Bulldogs' turnover on downs was not only huge for keeping them off the board, but also to give the ball back to Auburn's offense, which scored to go ahead 24-3 with nine seconds left in the first half. That touchdown proved to be some nice insurance for Auburn down the stretch of the game."

HELMET STICKER (OFFENSE)

Jason: "Jarquez Hunter played really well again, but Payton Thorne had a strong day in every area. Like most quarterbacks, there were a couple of plays he could have made, but it was a huge step in the right direction for him on Saturday."

Nathan: "Payton Thorne, welcome to the show. For the first time against a Power Five opponent this season, Thorne consistently looked like the poised and precise quarterback Auburn hoped he'd be when the grabbed the fifth-year senior out of the transfer portal. There's a handful of stats that illustrate just how good of a game he had, doing most of his work in the first half, but the simple fact that he and his pass-catchers were on the same page for multiple touchdown drives was a huge step for the maturation of an inconsistent passing game, and the confidence of an often-criticized QB."

HELMET STICKER (DEFENSE)

Jason: "Linebacker Eugene Asante was credited with 10 total tackles, two quarterback pressures and a tackle for a loss against Mississippi State. He continues his strong season for the Auburn defense."

Nathan: "Dare I say Keionte Scott looks even better after returning from his ankle procedure? He's now been targeted 12 times over the last two games and has given up only five catches, not to mention his seven tackles, including a tackle for loss, plus a pass breakup against Mississippi State. Scott was laying the boom early in the game and seems to have hit another gear for the Tigers in the latter portion of the season, which is obviously an incredible sign for a player whose status was in serious question when he suffered that high-ankle sprain in Week 3."

HELMET STICKER (SPECIAL TEAMS)

Jason: "Despite dealing with muscle strain on his left leg, kicker Alex McPherson had another strong day with field goals of 39 and 49 yards. He was also strong on kickoffs with the dangerous Lideatrick Griffin limited to just one return for 21 yards."

Nathan: "McPherson continues to look all the part of the ultra-talented kicker he was expected to be. Still perfect on the season, McPherson was 2-for-2 on Saturday, and he executed Freeze's previously discussed plan to keep Tulu Griffin from lighting up the game with a big return, as Griffin was only able to return one kick in the game."

WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP FORWARD

Jason: "That’s easily the offense following a strong first half against a solid Mississippi State defense. The second half wasn’t as strong, but the Tigers still managed to score 27 points and 416 yards of total offense."

Nathan: "When deployed, this passing game was as efficient as Auburn could have hoped after its struggles in the two games since the bye week — and really for the majority of the season. Yes, the opposition was Mississippi State, which just so happens to have the least efficient passing defense, measured by average opposing QBR, in the Power Five after Saturday's game. If the Tigers hadn't looked good throwing the football against this team, they may not have against anyone for the rest of the year. Still, Auburn's execution had been lacking in even the simplest of areas at quarterback and receiver, so to see tangible improvement was unquestionably important. And after all, it's not as if Auburn has a murderer's row of opponents lined up here in the near future. Auburn can win at least a couple more games if Thorne and co. are solid, but nothing special."

WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP BACK

Jason: "The Tigers continue to allow too many rushing yards, giving up 184 to Mississippi State without its best running back on the field. That makes it tough to get off the field if teams have success on first and second down."

Nathan: "Wright had a couple too many explosive plays with his arm, which Auburn probably didn't expect facing a backup quarterback, and the Bulldogs gashed for a few big runs in the second half, too. Mississippi State finished with 184 yards on the ground without leading rusher Jo'Quavious Marks, and even with all its timely stops in the game, the Auburn defense can't be happy with aspect of its performance."

BIGGEST SURPRISE?

Jason: "Most will say the offensive performance, but I thought this was a team that had that in them if they finally got some tempo going. I do think Thorne was able to spread the ball around more than I expected."

Nathan: "This felt all week like Auburn's game to finally get into a groove, but I still didn't expect Thorne to go out and post one of the most efficient stat lines for an Auburn quarterback in the past decade. His adjusted completion rate was a whopping 91.3 percent, as he only had two incompletions that weren't throwaways or drops. Thorne said this week that "enough is enough" for this passing game, and Freeze said his message to the quarterback was to "put up or shut up." Thorne delivered in a game where the Tigers severely needed that confidence boost through the air."

Did this outcome affect your thoughts on this Auburn team?

Jason: "It didn’t really change anything for me. I thought this was a team that could be 7-5 or 8-4 if things fell right. That’s still in play for the Tigers at the moment."

Nathan: "So ... is Auburn about to win four straight games? If the Tigers are finding even a somewhat decent passing game at this point in the season, the schedule sets up to possibly win every game until the Iron Bowl. The toughest test will be the trip to Arkansas, considering the Razorbacks have a stout defensive front and a veteran QB that's still capable of creating magic even in a lost season for that program. But a bowl game for Auburn was likely locked up with the win over Mississippi State, and seven wins are very attainable. Now, there's a lot of football left, and this team is very capable of crumbling at Vanderbilt — after all, the Tigers have been dreadful on the road offensively all season.  But by the looks of it, Freeze could find himself in a position where, record-wise, his first Auburn team was able to meet or slightly outperform expectations, and perhaps more importantly, did so while improving at the end of the season instead of declining."

*** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

*** Get Auburn news straight to your inbox with the Auburn Undercover newsletter ***

[aubiefifty 17,492]

 

[aubiefifty 17,492]

 

[aubiefifty 17,492]

 

[aubiefifty 17,492]

 

[aubiefifty 17,492]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all you spooky people!

[AUpreacherman22 3,910]

Thanks Fiddy.   Enjoy your Halloween!😁

[aubiefifty 17,492]

al.com

Auburn's Hugh Freeze used his veto power ahead of MSU game. Here's how it worked.

Updated: Oct. 30, 2023, 4:16 p.m.|Published: Oct. 30, 2023, 4:05 p.m.

5–7 minutes

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze pulled the trump card. He used his veto power. He acted as the CEO of Auburn’s football team.

Whichever wording one prefers, Freeze did it last week ahead of Auburn’s matchup with Mississippi State.

Freeze had made it clear early in the season that he wasn’t a fan of the Tigers’ two quarterback rotation between Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford. But that’s what Auburn’s offensive staff believed gave the Tigers the best chance to win football games.

So Freeze obliged.

But that changed leading into Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs.

Freeze had seen enough. He was fed up with the approach and it was time to “put up or shut up,” as Freeze put it Saturday night.

“There wasn’t really a conversation,” Freeze said Monday morning during his weekly press conference. “It was just ‘This is what we’re doing,’ and that’s it. This is what we’re doing, and we’ll figure out which one can either do it or not, and if none of them can, we’ll just we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Fortunately for Freeze and the Tigers, there wasn’t ever a bridge that needed crossing Saturday.

With the exception of a pair of designated run plays for Ashford, Thorne was the guy Saturday night. The keys were his. It was his offense run. And he ran it.

Thorne finished the day with a 20-for-26 passing performance under his belt. His 77% completion percentage was a career high for him – even dating back to his time at Michigan State.

Meanwhile, Thorne also became the first Auburn quarterback since Bo Nix against LSU in 2020 to pass for three touchdowns and not toss an interception against a SEC opponent.

Not to mention, Thorne passing for 230 yards was a sight for sore eyes considering the season-long struggles of Auburn’s passing game.

“He was really confident in the plan and it showed,” Freeze said of Thorne. “I just thought he played really solid, really confidently and I thought our kids responded to that around him well.”

Thorne connected with 11 different receivers in Saturday’s win. And though Freeze said Saturday night that he was most excited about Auburn’s wide receiver room finally notching some production, he admitted Monday that none of that would’ve been the case if not for the effort of the Tigers’ offensive line.

“We protected him the best that we have,” Freeze said Monday. “That makes a huge difference.”

Given the kind of chaos the Mississippi State defense can cause with all the movement they throw at an offensive line, Freeze said on the Thursday before the game that avoiding backwards plays would be crucial to Auburn’s success.

The Bulldogs’ defense tallied four tackles for a loss on Saturday, which resulted in a combined loss of just 14 yards.

“I expected a lot more negative plays than we had,” Freeze admitted Monday.

And some of that success was the result of Freeze once again putting his foot down.

While Auburn’s offensive linemen rotate in and out through the course of every game, there was more of that being done on Saturday – a direct reflection of a conversation Freeze had with the Tigers’ offensive line coach, Jake Thornton.

“Jake (Thornton) and I met last week, and I just said I’m convinced that this is going to be better for us,” Freeze said Monday.

Auburn offensive linemen Kam Stutts and Gunner Britton have been dinged up, but not enough to keep them off the field completely, Freeze says. So the veteran tandem has continued to be a staple along the offensive line on Saturdays.

And though Stutts and Britton are among the Tigers’ best along the offensive front, Freeze saw value — especially in the long term — in getting them more rest and rotating them in and out more.

“We’ve got to rotate those guys to hopefully, I mean, it’s a long season,” Freeze said. “We’ve got four more games, and we need all those guys to play significant snaps.”

It worked on Saturday.

Auburn didn’t give up a sack, while running back Jarquez Hunter notched the first 100-plus-yard performance of any Auburn running back this season.

“I think rotating them is in the best of us, but to handle all the stuff that State throws at a team the way they did in the first half was really, really remarkable, truthfully,” Freeze said. “I expected a lot more negative plays than we had. And they protected the quarterback really well, the first half especially.”

Like Auburn’s refreshing success from the quarterback spot, that started with Freeze using his veto card as head coach.

What he said went last week.

And fortunately for Auburn, those conversations in which Freeze might’ve gone over the heads of his assistant coaches didn’t go south, Freeze says. They weren’t ugly.

“But you get to a point where the only thing that I know, is got to be what I’m comfortable with, and this is what I think we need to do. ... It’s not like they were fighting me on it,” Freeze said. “Usually it was, ‘Alright, should we have this package? Should we have this package with this?’ And it was just, ‘No, this is the only thing that we’re going to do.’”

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[SaltyTiger 8,240]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all you spooky people!

Happy Halloween back even though I have never really gotten into it. Do love that the wife buys Reese’s cups and that we have few if any trick or treaters equaling plenty left over.

Sitting here on a Tuesday looking forward the game Saturday. That is a good thing for a change.

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