11.27.23 Football Articles

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si.com

 

Five stock risers from Auburn's loss to Alabama

Andrew Stefaniak

~3 minutes

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These five players raised their stock after the loss to Alabama.

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers gave everything they had against the Alabama Crimson Tide but lost a heartbreaker in the Iron Bowl. 

Although the game didn't go the way many would have hoped, losing in that painful of a way, there were a handful of Tigers who played well in this matchup. 

Let's take a look at five players who raised their stock in a painful Iron Bowl loss. 

Ja'Varrius Johnson

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Ja'Varrius was the offense for Auburn, as he had two touchdowns in this game, one rushing and one receiving. Johnson looked like a true wide receiver one for the Tigers with 88 total yards in this game. He has gotten more involved these last few weeks, and it is paying off for this Auburn offense. 

Damari Alston

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Damari Alston carried the football ten times in this game for 85 yards and a touchdown. Alston and Jarquez Hunter looked like a true one-two punch, which, assuming Hunter is back next season, will be a big part of Auburn's 2024 team. Heading into this season, we didn't know what Alston's role would look like, but it has been large, and he has looked good when healthy. 

Marcus Harris

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Marcus Harris continues to play excellent football for the Auburn Tigers, as he had two tackles in this game, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Harris has become a player who is on the stock risers' article almost every week and has made himself a ton of money this season. He could be a day-two pick in the NFL Draft. 

Jalen McLeod

Jalen McLeod had a big game for the Tigers, causing havoc all game long. McLeod had eight tackles and a tackle for loss. The Appalachian State transfer was the highest-graded player on defense, with a 74.5. It's scary to think what McLeod will do in his second season on the Plains, assuming he does come back. 

Connor Lew

(Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics)

Ever since Conner Lew took over, he has been really good for the Auburn Tigers as a true freshman. Lew graded out well in this game at a 71.1. This was the third-best offensive grade behind only Johnson and Alston. It's really scary to think how good Lew is going to be in the future for Hugh Freeze's squad. Lew will be an NFL player someday. 

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saturdaydownsouth.com

 

Auburn football: End-of-season stock report

Glenn Sattell | 20 hours ago

4–5 minutes

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It could have been better than a 6-6 season; there were opportunities for it. But considering back-to-back losing seasons under the previous coach, it wasn’t a bad 1st year for head coach Hugh Freeze on The Plains.

A pair of 3-game win streaks accounted for the win total — one to start the season, and another toward the end that added to the win total, a trio of SEC victories.

Then a couple of losses to close out the season left the Tigers with a .500 record but still qualifying for a bowl game. The destination won’t be known until next Sunday, when the official announcement is made.

Meanwhile, we take a look at the end-of-season stock report.

Most improved: LB Eugene Asante

The Tigers’ junior linebacker has blossomed in 2023 after 3 seasons at North Carolina. He led Auburn’s defense, recording nearly twice as many tackles as anyone else on the team. His 12 tackles at California were a career high, and he scored his 1st career touchdown on a 67-yard scoop-and-score in the 4th quarter at Texas A&M.

In 37 games at North Carolina, Asante recorded 62 tackles. He equaled that number through 8 games this season at Auburn, with double-digit tackles in 3 of those games. Asante became 1st Auburn player to tally at least 12 tackles plus a sack in the same game since Zakoby McClain had 14 tackles and 2 sacks vs. Ole Miss in 2021.

Biggest surprise: Lack of passing game

Nobody expected the Tigers to lead the conference in passing, but who could have foreseen them finishing last? Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne came to Auburn having thrown for 3,232 yards and 27 TDs in 2021 and 2,679 yards and 19 TDs last season.

So throwing for fewer than 2,000 yards this season was a surprise. But that’s what happened, and the offense suffered for it. But it was a team effort that kept Auburn’s passing game to a minimum. Lack of protection from the offensive line coupled with a group of receivers who collectively had problems gaining separation. And of course, Thorne had his problems with accuracy as well.

Best win: 27-13 over Mississippi State

The big SEC victory on Oct. 28 snapped a 4-game losing streak and got the Tigers back on the winning track. It ignited a 3-game conference win streak and gave Auburn some momentum at a time when it was reeling.

It was also the coming-out party for RB Jarquez Hunter, who rushed for 144 yards, the first of 3 consecutive 100-yard games for the talented back. And while Hunter was leading the ground game, Thorne got the passing game going with 230 yards through the air on 20 completions in 26 attempts and 3 TDs.

Asante led the defensive charges with 10 tackles, and Alex McPherson added a pair of field goals.

Worst loss: 31-10 to New Mexico State

The lopsided defeat to the C-USA team on Nov. 18 was a total embarrassment and completely inexplicable coming on the heels of a 3-game SEC win streak. Auburn was outplayed in all phases of the game and managed just 214 yards of total offense.

“(That was) about as disappointing as I’ve ever been in coaching with Saturday’s effort,” said Freeze. “It was an embarrassment, too. It can’t happen like that. It starts with me. I have to get our coaches and our players ready to play, and I obviously missed the mark tremendously. It’s frustrating and sickening to watch.”

New Mexico State scored on the opening possession and never trailed. The Tigers tied the game, 7-7, on a 32-yard TD pass from Thorne to Rivaldo Fairweather. But the Aggies scored the next 17 points to pull away.

Play of the Year: West Coast pick

When D.J. James picked off a California pass in the end zone in the waning seconds of the Sept. 9 game, it preserved a critical and impressive 14-10 road victory over the Bears in Berkeley.

It was an important victory for a team traveling more than halfway across the country with a new head coach and still searching for an identity.

Earlier in the 4th quarter, the Tigers erased a 10-7 deficit. With 6:31 remaining, Thorne threw 5 yards to Fairweather for the go-ahead score, and James’ late-game heroics made it stand.

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al.com

 

How has Hugh Freeze's vision for Auburn changed after Saturday's narrow loss to Alabama?

Published: Nov. 26, 2023, 7:00 a.m.

6–7 minutes

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Folks in turquoise polo shirts made their way onto the sidelines of Jordan-Hare Stadium with around four minutes to play in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against No. 8 Alabama.

It was like déjà vu as the same thing happened in the final minutes of Auburn’s game against the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 30.

Those folks in the turquoise polo shirts make up the stadium security staff at Auburn.

And with the prospect of a field rush continuing to mount as the Tigers led the Crimson Tide with under a minute to play, the reserves of turquoise-polo wearing staff members were called on.

Had Auburn won the football game, the plan wasn’t to prevent fans from storming the field. Everyone knew that wasn’t an option. But Auburn wanted to be sure it had its turquoise-clad troops ready to help make the chaos as safe and organized as possible.

However, just like on Sept. 30 when the Bulldogs were in town, Auburn fans had the opportunity snatched out from under their feet as Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe heaved a 31-yard game-winning touchdown to Isaiah Bond.

“We have the best fans in the country, and that atmosphere tonight is off the charts, best I’ve ever been a part of,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said following the narrow loss. “Just wish we were out there celebrating right now together.”

Instead, for the second time this season, Freeze was left with the task of consoling his team after losing another one-possession ball game to a top-10 opponent – something that’s easier said than done, Freeze admits.

“I don’t think any coach has the words,” Freeze said. “You tell them you love them, that we’ll learn from it and get through it, but it’s going to hurt. There’s no way around it and you’re going to have to walk through the hurt.”

Meanwhile, the Auburn fans who had made their way inside Jordan-Hare Stadium for this year’s rendition of the Iron Bowl were left heading towards the exits instead of the turf of Pat Dye Field.

And as similar as the endings of Auburn’s games against Georgia and Alabama appeared from the outside, they were much different on the inside.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry against the Bulldogs is an important game to the Auburn contingent.

But it’s not the Iron Bowl.

“I don’t feel similar. This is totally different,” said Auburn Jack linebacker Jalen McLeod. “This right here is war. You know? One of the oldest rivalries, best rivalries in the country. Like I said, I’m a transfer. I know that. When you lose, it’s the worst feeling, especially like that. So it’s nothing to compare to them. It’s deeper.”

Saturday’s 27-24 loss to Alabama stung. It stung bad.

Freeze said it.

Some of Auburn’s players said it, too.

Other’s showed it.

And while Freeze and his team don’t suit up to play horseshoes or hand grenades, does it mean there’s nothing to take away from a pair of narrow losses to the two teams who will battle in the SEC Championship – and likely a spot in the College Football Playoff – next weekend?

“If you isolate it to those two games, you feel like you’ve done some good things,” Freeze said.

Pushing the No. 1 team in the country to the brink before the month of October in Year No. 1 of a rebuild is remarkable — especially considering the Tigers lost to the then-second-ranked Bulldogs 42-10 in Athens last fall.

Meanwhile, keeping your in-state rival, which happens to be a potential playoff contender, on the ropes for more than 59 minutes of a 60-minute football game is something to hang your hat on — especially after losing 49-27 in Tuscaloosa in 2022.

All of that points to progress.

But Freeze isn’t new to this profession. He knows he’s not coaching horseshoes or hand grenades. He’s coaching college football in the SEC.

“We get judged in this game on wins and losses,” Freeze said. “We all know that when we get signed up for it.”

By that logic, the opportunity for Freeze and the Tigers to add a win to Year 1 of the rebuild is still on the table after Auburn obtained bowl eligibility three weeks ago with a dominating performance against Arkansas.

And that’s right on par with Freeze’s goals for his first year on The Plains.

“I really didn’t have a vision for this year, other than to try to get us to a bowl game and improve us from week to week,” Freeze said Saturday night.

However, after hanging around with two of the “golden standards” of college football this season — in Year No. 1 of a ground-up rebuild — Freeze and the Tigers are adopting a new vison. And it’s a bit loftier than simply becoming bowl eligible.

“We’re gonna be one of the elite programs in the country,” Freeze said of the vision of Auburn football after Saturday’s loss to Alabama.

For that to be the case, Freeze knows it will have to be a mixed bags of on-field results and success on the recruiting trail.

“It’s a combination,” Freeze said. “You’ve got to coach to a certain standard, and you’ve got to recruit somewhere close to level par to the way those guys and some others in this league are.”

Should those things happen, it’ll only be a matter of time until the folks in the turquoise polo shirts will not only be called upon as a precaution, but expected to spring into action. One can only hope that they’ll be ready.

Whenever that time comes, Auburn’s fans will be ready — just like they were twice this season.

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al.com

 

Auburn NFL roundup: Jalen Hurts praises Jack Driscoll

Updated: Nov. 27, 2023, 1:26 a.m.|Published: Nov. 27, 2023, 12:48 a.m.

7–9 minutes

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The Philadelphia Eagles found out Lane Johnson had a sore groin on Sunday morning. After working out the four-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro on the field before Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, the team decided Johnson couldn’t play.

That meant the Eagles defeated the Bills 37-34 in overtime with Jack Driscoll at right offensive tackle.

• State NFL roundup: Eagles get big play from former Samford star
• Alabama NFL roundup: Amari Cooper, Derrick Henry hit 9,000 on same Sunday
• Auburn NFL roundup: Jack Driscoll earns Jalen Hurts’ praise

“Lane’s one of the best players in the NFL,” Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Lane Johnson is one of the best players in the world. But we have a ton of confidence in Jack Driscoll. I haven’t seen the tape, but I have a feeling he played an outstanding game because of just how the game was going and the rush and all those different things.”

Since joining the Eagles from Auburn in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Driscoll has started 17 games while playing tackle and guard for injured regulars.

This season, Driscoll entered Sunday having played 67 offensive snaps in Philadelphia’s 10 games, with 61 coming when Johnson got hurt in the Eagles’ only loss – a 20-14 setback against the New York Jets on Oct. 15. Driscoll did not fare well in that game.

“We obviously did a lot of our plan looking at how we were going to help him, what we could do starting off a little bit early in the game to do some of those things,” Sirianni said of plans to give Driscoll some tight-end help on Sunday. “But then he settled in, and he played a really good game. We felt like as the game grew on – and that was our plan, to see how the game was going – we continued to gain more and more confidence in Jack’s ability to stop this rush, and I thought – again, it’s hard for me to say exactly how he played without watching the tape, but it seemed like he played a really good game. And, again, big contribution by Jack Driscoll.”

Philadelphia rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit, sent the game into overtime on a field goal with 20 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter and drove for a touchdown after Buffalo had opened overtime with a field goal.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ended the game with a 12-yard touchdown run after he’d gotten Philadelphia back in the game with three second-half touchdown passes.

“Jack stepped in and played a hell of a game,” Hurts said. “Played a hell of a game being put on the spot. And this isn’t the first time that this has happened. This happened in 2021 versus the Chiefs, and he came in and played a great game as well. And so it’s being ready and having an opportunity. And I know as a competitor, Jack was ready for that opportunity after how that Jets game went, and he played a hell of a game this time around.”

Driscoll was among the 15 former Auburn players who got on the field on the 12th Sunday of the NFL’s 104th season.

In the other Sunday games:

Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Cincinnati Bengals 10

· Steelers nose tackle Montravius Adams was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury kept Adams sidelined for a third consecutive game.

· Bengals wide receiver Shedrick Jackson (Hoover) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Jacksonville Jaguars 24, Houston Texans 21

· Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby had a 6-yard run.

· Jaguars defensive lineman Angelo Blackson made one tackle.

· Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) did not record any stats.

· Jaguars wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Texans offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Indianapolis Colts 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20

· Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) did not record any stats.

· Carlton Davis started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Davis reached a career high with 10 tackles to tie for the team lead, intercepted one pass and broke up another. Davis’ first interception of the season was the eighth of his career. Davis picked off Indianapolis quarterback Gardner Minshew, and a 3-yard return put Tampa Bay at the Colts 16-yard line. The Buccaneers scored a touchdown three snaps later to cut Indianapolis’ lead to 17-10 with 5:08 left in the first half.

· Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean was designated as a game-day inactive. An ankle injury kept Dean out of the lineup.

· Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for Colts.

New York Giants 10, New England Patriots 7

· Jonathan Jones started at left cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made three tackles.

· Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton caught two passes for 16 yards.

Tennessee Titans 17, Carolina Panthers 10

· Derrick Brown started at defensive end for the Panthers. Brown made five tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up one pass.

· Titans defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Panthers outside linebacker Eku Leota did not record any stats.

· Titans cornerback Roger McCreary (Williamson) made four tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up one pass.

· Titans quarterback Malik Willis was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Panthers linebacker Chandler Wooten is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Los Angeles Rams 37, Arizona Cardinals 14

· Cardinals inside linebacker Owen Pappoe made one tackle.

Denver Broncos 29, Cleveland Browns 12

· Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham dressed for the game but did not play.

Kansas City Chiefs 31, Las Vegas Raiders 17

· Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson was wide right on a 30-yard field-goal attempt before connecting from 34 yards. He also kicked two extra points. Carlson entered the game 97-of-100 on field-goal attempts inside 40 yards in his career.

· Chiefs offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (Edgewood Academy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Baltimore Ravens 20, Los Angeles Chargers 10

· Chargers long snapper Josh Harris handled the snaps on three punts, one field goal and one extra point.

· Ravens guard Tashawn Manning is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Week 12 started on Thursday, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions 29-22, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Commanders 45-10 and San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 31-13, and continued on Friday, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets 34-13.

Week 12 concludes on Monday, when the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings square off at 7:15 p.m. CDT at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. ABC and ESPN will televise the game.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AmarkG1.

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well folks it is the monday after letting a win slip through our hands. i saw several bad calls while doing the video's. i have no idea if they would made a difference or not.folks they expected us to get the crap stomped out of us and they were all wrong. like mr sanders said you best be getting us now. and like coach "O"says..........we coming! it was a tough loss but i feel in my heart better days are coming.

[SaltyTiger 7,864]

Tired of thinking about it Fiddy. Overall great Thanksgiving and weekend. Hard to believe the Christmas season is on us. Thanksgiving early this year so going to be a long one.