​​Lyle's Corner

December 2019

Sunday, December 29th, 2019

Yes, I'm still out there. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. That said, I'm pretty tired right now, so I'm going to be short and to the point on Auburn basketball's win over Lipscomb today. 

The Tigers fell behind 10-2 early, but rose up as the game went on, and ended the day with an 86-59 victory to boost them to 12-0 heading into SEC play next weekend. This is the team's best start since the 1998-99 campaign when Auburn won its first 17 straight before losing. 

From an individual standpoint, Danjel Purifoy and Jamal Johnson gave a major boost to the Tiger offense, amassing 31 points combined. Auburn led Lipscomb in rebounds by a 43-28 count, and also had a .706 mark in free throws. The Tigers' 86 points equaled their third-highest scoring output this season and their highest since rolling up 91 against Colgate on Nov. 18th. 

Auburn opens conference action next Saturday with a trip to Mississippi State. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. 

In other news...

- The football team faces Minnesota in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla. on Wednesday, Jan. 1st, 2020. Kickoff is s et for noon CT on ESPN. 

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 

Friday, December 20th, 2019

One of Auburn's top pass rushers (if not THE top one) is exiting the Tigers early. Nick Coe announced today via Instagram that he will skip the rest of his eligibility, including the Outback Bowl, to enter the NFL Draft. Coe realizes that although he's "not a finished product", he will continue to become "an Auburn man" while vying for his ultimate goal. 

No other Tiger intends to sit out the bowl game, however. A week ago, Derrick Brown announced on Instagram that he would play in the bowl game despite lofty draft projections. Safety Daniel Thomas said that everyone, including defensive end Marlon Davidson, wanted to play with each other one more time. 

Coe, a redshirt junior, has played in all 12 games this season. He has recorded 15 tackles (three for loss) and three quarterback hurries. The 2018 campaign, however, was more successful for Coe. That season, he made 27 tackles (13.5 for loss), seven sacks, three quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. 

This year, Coe was listed as the starting outside linebacker on Auburn's first depth chart. It was the first time the position was listed on the depth chart. He was also named the No. 2 player at both defensive tackle and defensive end. Most of the season, he has played on the line. 

In other news....

- The men's basketball team remained undefeated at 10-0 with a hard-fought 79-73 win over NC State in Auburn Arena last night. The Tigers will return to action tomorrow in hosting Lehigh. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. (For those wondering, Lehigh is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.) 

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 

Saturday, December 14th, 2019

I'm going to be blunt and to the point about Auburn basketball's 67-61 win over St. Louis today in the Mike Slive Invitational in Birmingham. The Tigers were sluggish in the first five minutes, but picked up the pace from that point on. The defense forced 12 turnovers, which is definitely a solid figure, home or away. 

J'Von McCormick was the real workhorse of the Auburn offense, scoring 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds and making six assists. The only true issue that comes to my mind right now is free throws. The Tigers went 13-of-28 today in that category, leaving plenty of room for improvement. 

Bottom line: Auburn is 9-0 on the year, and can now prepare for a home tilt with NC State in Auburn Arena next Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 



Friday, December 13th, 2019

In this day and age, college football players can, and often do, decide to skip bowl games. Thankfully, Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown will not be part of that clan. The senior All-American announced via Instagram today that he plans to play against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Outback Bowl in Tampa on New Year's Day. 

"I came back to finish what I started," he said in a video. "And we're not done yet. See you in Tampa! War Eagle!" Brown, a finalist for seven national awards, was named an All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation and USA Today ​ on Thursday after a superb season for the Tigers this fall. 

Brown was named the SEC's defensive player of the year by the Associated Press and the SEC's coaches earlier this week. Auburn hasn't had a defensive player of the year since Nick Fairley won the award in 2010. In Brown's case, he has registered 50 tackles (12 1/2 for loss) and four sacks entering the Outback Bowl. We'll see if he can add to that already impressive total. 

In other news....

- The men's basketball team returns to action tomorrow against St. Louis in Birmingham for the Mike Slive Invitational. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2. 

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 



Tuesday, December 10th, 2019

Boom! Just like that, Auburn has its new offensive coordinator. Former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris was hired for the position today. Morris replaces Kenny Dillingham, who left the Plains immediately to become offensive coordinator at Florida State. 

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn released a statement on the news. "I'm super excited to have Chad Morris join our staff at Auburn," he said. "He's a tremendous offensive mind who has had success with several top-ranked offenses during his time in the college ranks. I've known Chad for almost 20 years and he is a tireless worker and a perfectionist. He is a great addition to our program and I look forward to him helping Auburn win championships!" 

Morris lasted less than two seasons at Arkansas before being fired after a shocking 45-19 upset loss to Western Kentucky. He left with a dismal 4-18 record, including no SEC wins. But having found a new job, he directly expressed his gratefulness for the opportunity. 

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Malzahn's staff at Auburn," he said. "I've known Gus since the early 2000s and consider him a dear friend and someone that helped me get into the profession at the college level. I've admired the success he's had at each of his stops and look forward to adding to the success that he, his staff and the players have built. We are excited about joining the Auburn family." 

Morris previously served as offensive coordinator at Clemson from 2011-14 and head coach at SMU from 2015-17 before his bleak stint at Arkansas. Regardless, I'm hopeful that he can give Auburn's offense all the firepower it can muster.

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 

Monday, December 9th, 2019

Auburn football has a crucial job vacancy ahead of its bowl game. Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham is leaving the staff immediately to accept the same position at Florida State, a person familiar with the decision tells Auburn Undercover. 

He returns to new head coach Mike Norvell's staff. Dillingham was previously the OC at Memphis under Norvell in 2018 before being hired by Gus Malzahn to join Auburn in December of that year. Reportedly, a top target for the job is former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris. He and Malzahn are close friends, going back to their days as high school coaches in Texas and Arkansas, respectively. 

Dillingham was paid $500,000 per year at Auburn, the lowest salary for an offensive coordinator in Malzahn's tenure. He signed a two-year deal that was set to expire on Jan. 31st, 2021, according to a memorandum of understanding obtained in December 

through an open records request. Dillingham was previously paid $280,000 per year at Memphis under Norvell, where he was an assistant for two seasons. 

No matter who takes this position, the biggest question, perhaps, is whether he will get to call the plays (although, at this point, it seems highly unlikely). 

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 



Sunday, December 8th, 2019

Auburn will open the upcoming new decade the same way it started the previous one: against a Big Ten squad in the Outback Bowl. 

The 11th-ranked Tigers (9-3) will face No. 18 Minnesota (10-2) on New Year's Day. The news was first reported by Brett McMurphy of Stadium. Auburn and the Golden Gophers have never met on the football field, and first-time meetings between teams in bowl games are a rarity. 

This marks Auburn's fifth Outback Bowl appearance overall, including its third since New Year's Day 2010. The Tigers' last appearance in the game was a heartbreaker, as they dropped a 34-31 overtime decision to Wisconsin on Jan. 1st, 2015. Minnesota's biggest victory this season was a 31-26 win over Penn State on Nov. 9th. The Gophers lost the following week at Iowa and closed out the regular season with a 38-17 home loss to Wisconsin, which went on to take part in the Big Ten Championship Game. 

The Tigers clinched two wins against teams once or currently ranked in the Top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings - Oregon and Alabama - and three losses against 

No. 1 LSU, No. 5 Georgia and No. 9 Florida. Auburn and Minnesota are scheduled to arrive in Tampa on Dec. 26th. The game is set for noon CT on New Year's Day on ESPN.

No SEC West team has played in the Outback Bowl more frequently than Auburn. Four SEC teams have played in the game five times: Auburn, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. 

In other news...

- The men's basketball team overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat Furman in overtime 81-78 last Thursday. Auburn remains unbeaten at 8-0, while Furman falls to 7-3. Isaac Okoro led the Tiger offense with 18 points. Auburn will return to action next Saturday against St. Louis in Birmingham, Ala. in the Mike Slive Invitational. That game is set for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2. 

That's all for today. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 



Wednesday, December 4th, 2019

Auburn's depth at linebacker took a hit today, as sophomore Michael Harris has decided to leave the team. Harris, who hails from Tucker, Georgia, was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. 

Harris played in 11 games this season, but recorded only 3 tackles, coming against Arkansas and Ole Miss. He didn't go into much detail on his decision, but thanked the Auburn coaching staff for giving him a chance to change his life. "I thought about my decision and however, I think it's best for me to continue to move forward," he wrote. "....Please Respect me and my Decision. Thank you Auburn and War Eagle!" 

When Harris committed to Auburn in July 2017, he was a 6-feet-2, 213-pounder rated as the No. 11 inside linebacker in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 27 recruit in the state of Georgia. Harris pledged to the Tigers over offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Ohio State.

In other news....

- Gus Malzahn will appear as a guest host in CBS's pregame coverage on the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. Pregame coverage is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. CT. He is one of three SEC coaches to have faced both Georgia and LSU, with Florida's Dan Mulen and Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher as the others. Malzahn's insights on this game should be intriguing to hear. 

- The men's basketball team will host Furman tomorrow night in Auburn Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. 

That's all for today. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

Auburn football got a new pledge for 2021 today. Lee Hunter, a five-star defensive tackle from Blount High School publicly committed to Gus Malzahn's Tigers today. The 6-feet-5, 292-pound Hunter announced his decision via Twitter. He picked Auburn over offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee, among many others. 

Hunter is rated as a five-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, the nation's No. 4 defensive tackle and the No. 28 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. With his pledge, Auburn now has four total commits for the Class of 2021. The class now vaults into the top 10 in America. I'm confident that Hunter will be a welcome asset to Kevin Steele's bunch.

On another topic, yes, I realize I didn't write a post-game account of the Iron Bowl. But I got busy with decorating for Christmas on Sunday. But yes, I did watch the game. And man, woman and child, what a wild and thrilling game it was! That goes down as my second personal favorite Iron Bowl. I would think you know what the all-timer is, and always will be. But there's nothing like pulling off an upset, let alone against your cross-state rival.

In other news...

- The men's basketball team will return to action on Thursday night when they host Furman in Auburn Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. 

That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!