​​Lyle's Corner

February 2020

Saturday, February 29th, 2020

​It's late in the evening as I write this, so I'm going to be short and blunt about Auburn's 73-66 loss at Kentucky today. There's no doubt that the Tigers gave the Wildcats all that they could handle all afternoon. Auburn had a nine-point lead at one point in the first half. 

But that lead soon disappeared. Nonetheless, the Tigers battled on. But a lackluster second half dashed their hopes of winning at Rupp Arena for the first time since 1988. In particular, poor performances in 3-pointers and free throws hurt the team majorly. There was also a string of costly fouls. 

In short, Bruce Pearl's squad gave a valiant effort, but couldn't make the big plays down the stretch. Kentucky clinched the regular-season SEC crown with the victory. Still, Auburn is 24-5 overall, 11-5 in conference play, and will have a chance to redeem itself with a home tilt with Texas A&M on Wednesday night in Auburn Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. 

In other news.....

​- The baseball team has dominated its series with Wright State thus far this weekend, winning the first two games by respective scores of 7-2 on Friday and 20-6 today. The Tigers will look to get the sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. CT in Plainsman Park.

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



Wednesday, February 26th, 2020

Unlike its first meeting with Ole Miss, Auburn didn't need overtime to decide the winner. Instead, the Tigers started last night's contest with a steal and layup by Danjel Purifoy and never trailed in beating the Rebels 67-58 in Auburn Arena. The Tigers improved to 24-4 overall, 11-4 in the SEC, while Ole Miss fell to 13-15 overall, 4-11 in conference play. 

Eight Tigers scored, including three in double figures, with Austin Wiley leading the way with 15 points. More significantly, Isaac Okoro finally returned to the court after missing the last four games with a pulled hamstring. He made the most of it, posting 10 points in 27 minutes of play. 

The Auburn defense was equally impressive, holding the Rebels well below their season average of 69.7 points per game. The Tigers also held the SEC's leading scorer, Breein Tyree, in check with 16 points in 3-of-19 shooting from the field. Tyree entered the match averaging 20.6 points per game and 29.5 points over his last six games. 

This win marked the Tigers' 16th inside Auburn Arena this season, the most in one season in the building's 10-year history. They have now won 19 straight in that venue dating back to last season. Auburn needs to move on quickly, however, because next on the docket is a pivotal trip to Lexington to face Kentucky on Saturday afternoon at 2:45 p.m. CT on CBS. Bruce Pearl's troops are two games behind the Wildcats in the SEC West race. 

In other news....

- The baseball team shut out Alabama A&M yesterday at Plainsman Park by a score of 10-0. The teams will square off again at 5 p.m. CT this afternoon, with the game available online at SECN+.

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



Sunday, February 23rd, 2020

Auburn seemed destined for its third straight loss in as many games without the injured Isaac Okoro when it trailed visiting Tennessee by 17 in the second half. But Bruce Pearl's Tigers refused to fold, battling back for an electrifying 73-66 win over the Vols in Auburn Arena.

This marked Auburn's fourth double-digit rally in SEC play this season. As a result, the team improved to 23-4 overall, 10-4 in the conference. Tennessee, meanwhile, slipped to 15-12 overall, 7-6 in league action. 

Samir Doughty was the only Tiger to score in double figures in this one, tallying 22 points. With 14:31 left in the game, Auburn went on an 18-0 run to erase its large deficit. The defense also played a big role, forcing 24 turnovers, including 18 steals. The Tigers had a 27-15 advantage in points off turnovers.

This is why it pays to never throw in the towel. Auburn must now prepare for another home game, this time with Ole Miss. That one is set for Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. Unfortunately, the Rebels took a 103-75 licking at the hands of Alabama in Oxford last night. That kind of outcome always leaves you with a sour feeling when you know that they're next on your schedule. But let's not try to write this one down as a loss automatically. 

In other news.....

- The baseball team is having a bleak weekend in its own ballpark against UCF. The Tigers lost the first two in the series by respective scores of 3-1 on Friday and 7-3 on Saturday. As for today, the Golden Knights lead Auburn 11-1 in the eighth inning at the time of this writing. Mighty ugly, right?

Next on the docket is a midweek home series against Alabama A&M on Tuesday and Wednesday, with both games slated for 5 p.m. CT.

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



Thursday, February 20th, 2020

Another road trip, another upset loss for Auburn basketball. Are the Tigers unable to play at the top of their game away from Auburn Arena? Are they suffering with Isaac Okoro still sidelined with a pulled hamstring? 

Whatever the case, Auburn's 65-55 defeat at Georgia last night certainly wasn't pretty. J'Von McCormick led the Tigers with 22 points, but it wasn't enough. The first half was pretty hard-fought, but after going up by one at 23-22 with 5:11 left before intermission, Auburn never led again. 

Judging by the stat sheet, it's pretty clear that poor 3-point shooting (.154) hurt the Tigers dearly. Fifteen turnovers didn't help matters, either. In a nutshell, they were beaten by a Bulldog squad that was just 2-10 in SEC play entering this one, and perhaps had no business coming out on top this time around. 

Bruce Pearl's players need to find ways to win without Okoro - and quickly - if they want to beat Pearl's former team, Tennessee, on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The good news is that the Tigers will be back home on their own court. The game will be televised by CBS. 

In other news.....

- The baseball team improved to 5-0 yesterday with a 17-1 blowout of Oakland in Plainsman Park. The Tigers will remain at home with a weekend series against Central Florida that begins tomorrow, with that game beginning at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be available online at SECN+.

- The SEC released the schedule for its 2020 Media Days event today. This year, the event will take place in Atlanta at the College Football Hall of Fame from Monday, July 13th through Thursday, July 16th. 

The event will be broadcast on the SEC Network, with the televised schedule to be announced at a later date. What follows is the lineup for the event, listed by day. 

- Monday, July 13th:

     Florida: Dan Mullen

     LSU: Ed Orgeron 

     Missouri: Eliah Drinkwitz 

- Tuesday, July 14th:

     - Georgia: Kirby Smart

    - Kentucky: Mark Stoops 

   - Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin 

-   Vanderbilt: Derek Mason 


- Wednesday, July 15th:

    - Alabama: Nick Saban

    - Arkansas: Sam Pittman

    - Mississippi State: Mike Leach

    - Tennessee: Jeremy Pruitt

    - Thursday, July 16th:

    - Auburn: Gus Malzahn 

   - South Carolina: Will Muschamp

    - Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher

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



Sunday, February 16th, 2020

As was the case three days ago, it's late as I type this, so I'm going to be blunt on Auburn basketball's 85-73 upset loss at Missouri yesterday. 

Going into this one, I knew that this wouldn't be an easy game by any means. Despite their record, Mizzou is a pesky bunch, and it showed. And it wasn't solely Issac Okoro's absence that doomed Auburn. The visiting Tigers also did themselves no favors by struggling mightily with 3-pointers and free throws. In the case of the former, Auburn was 1-of-17. 

Bottom line: Bruce Pearl's troops showed some spark, but not enough to keep a seven-game winning streak from coming to a halt. Auburn will have to work out the issues in time for another road trip, this time to Georgia on Wednesday night. That game is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 (Auburn's third straight appearance on that network). Whether or not Okoro will be able to return to action remains unclear (although, in my mind, quite doubtful).

In other news......

- Auburn baseball began its 2020 season in auspicious fashion, sweeping a four-game series with Illinois-Chicago this weekend. The Tigers won 5-3 on Friday, then won both games in a doubleheader on Saturday by respective scores of 18-1 and 7-3. The sweep was completed with a 14-0 blowout that ended after seven innings. 

The Tigers will continue their string of 23 straight home contests on Tuesday with a match against Oakland (Cal.) in Plainsman Park. That game is set for 5 p.m. CT and will be available online at SECN+. 

- Breaking news on the football front: Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Travis Williams has added another position to his responsibilities on the staff: recruiting coordinator. Williams, who earned $450,500 last season, is expected to get a salary increase as well. 

He replaces Marcus Woodson as Auburn's recruiting coordinator. The defensive backs coach left the Plains for the same position at Florida State earlier this month. Williams added the title of co-defensive coordinator alongside coordinator Kevin Steele in February 2019. Steele, however, continues to handle play-calling duties.

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



Thursday, February 13th, 2020

It's late in the evening as I write this, so I'm going to be relatively brief on my take on Auburn's pulsating 95-91 overtime win over Alabama last night.

It seems that the Tigers have contracted a severe case of overtime-itis. This was the fourth game in the last five to require an extra session. But don't let that final score fool you. Auburn never trailed all night. Even when the Tide did manage to even the count in the final minute to force overtime, the Tigers' resolve and resiliency shined through once again. 

The only bit of bad news lay in the fact that Isaac Okoro went down with a pulled hamstring late in regulation and didn't return. Head coach Bruce Pearl confirmed today that Okoro didn't practice, and may not be able to make the trip to Columbia, Missouri for Auburn's next match. It's unclear exactly how long he'll be out. 

Auburn's tangle with Missouri is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2. And based on what I've seen recently, I can tell you that Missouri is a pesky bunch that will give Auburn all it can handle. 

In other news.....

- Baseball season kicks off tomorrow night when the Tigers begin a three-game series with Illinois-Chicago in Plainsman Park at 5 p.m. CT. The game will be available online at SECN+. 

That's all for now. Until next time, have a Happy Valentine's Day, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 



Sunday, February 9th, 2020

For the third time in almost two weeks, the overtime bug struck Auburn. And once again, they came out on top, this time in a dramatic 91-90 decision against LSU. 

This marked the third time in the past four games that Auburn overcame a double-digit deficit to pull out a win. They trailed by as many as 15 against the Bayou Bengals in the second half before their comeback capers emerged. Samir Doughty's layup with 19 seconds left in regulation deadlocked the count at 74-all. LSU's game-winning trey attempt at the buzzer fell short, forcing overtime. 

J'Von McCormick tallied 23 points, nine assists and a career-high nine rebounds. But his game-winning shot with a tenth of a second left in the extra period was the play of the day. In pocketing its sixth straight win, Auburn is now 21-2 overall, 8-2 in SEC play. More significantly, they are now atop the SEC standings. 

Auburn has been very fortunate to have battled back from behind so many times as of recently, but they can't start out sluggish every time they hit the court. Free-throw shooting also needs improvement. Otherwise, the Tigers' good fortunes will be destined to run out. 

Bruce Pearl's troops will host Alabama on Wednesday night in Auburn Arena at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. 

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



Wednesday, February 5th, 2020

With National Signing Day in progress, here is a list of the 2020 Auburn signees, including their positions, heights, weights, hometowns and high schools. 

​1. Marquis Burks: DT. 6-3, 305; Chicago, Ill./Iowa Central CC.

​2. Dre Butler: DT. 6-5, 275; Covington, Ga./Independence (Kan.) CC. 

​3. Brandon Frazier: TE. 6-5, 237; McKinney, Tex./McKinney North. 

​4. Kilian Zierer: OT. 6-7, 284; Hohenkirchen, Germany/College of Canyons CC. 

​5. Avery Jernigan: C. 6-3, 306; Blackshear, Ga./Pierce County HS.

​6. Tate Johnson: OG. 6-3, 325; LaGrange, Ga./Callaway HS.

​7. Kobe Hudson: WR. 6-0, 185; Pine Mountain, Ga./Troup County HS. 

​8. Elijah Canion: WR. 6-4, 201; Broward County, Fla.; Chaminade-Madonna HS.

​9. Jeremiah Wright: OL. 6-5, 340; Selma, Ala./Selma HS. 

​10. Wesley Steiner: LB. 6-0, 226; Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County HS. 

​11. Marco Domio: CB. 6-1, 172; Houston, Tex./Blinn JC.

​12. Daniel Foster-Allen: DE. 6-4, 274; Saraland, Ala./St. Paul's HS. 

​13. Chayil Garnett: QB. 6-1, 211; Lake Wales, Fla./Lakeland HS. 

14. Cam Riley: LB. 6-4, 207; Evergreen, Ala./Hillcrest HS. 

15. Chris Thompson Jr.: S. 6-1, 201; DeSoto, Tex./Duncanville HS. 

16.  Desmond Tisdol: LB. 6-0, 210; Rochelle, Ga./Wilcox County HS. 

​17. J.J. Pegues: TE. 6-2, 298; Oxford, Miss./Oxford HS. 

18. Ladarius Tennison: S. 5-9, 195; Rockledge, Fla./Rockledge HS. 

​19. Zykeivous Walker: DE. 6-4, 267; Ellaville, Ga./Schley County HS. 

​20. Cartavious "Tank" Bigsby: RB. 6-0, 209; LaGrange, Ga./Callaway HS. 

​21. Ze'Vian Capers: WR. 6-4, 192; Alpharetta, Ga./Denmark HS. 

​22. Brenden Coffey: OT. 6-6, 264; Paradise, Calif./Paradise HS. 

​23. J.J. Evans: WR. 6-2, 192; Montevallo, Ala./Montevallo HS. 

​24. Romello Height: BUCK. 6-4, 217; Dublin, Ga./Dublin HS. 

25. Eric Reed Jr.: CB. 6-0, 195; Shreveport, La./Calvary Baptist Academy. 

In other news......

​- Auburn men's basketball erased a double-digit deficit for the second week in a row to win at Arkansas in overtime 79-76 last night. The Tigers trailed by 11 with 5:59 left, but rose up to eventually take down the Razorbacks in the extra period when Mason Jones' trey attempt at the buzzer just missed, thereby preventing a second extra session.

Auburn is now 20-2 overall, 7-2 in conference play. They will return home to host LSU on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT for Lettermen's Weekend. The game will be televised on ESPN. 

​- The football program got a shock today when word came out that redshirt junior running back JaTarvious Whitlow had entered the NCAA transfer portal. Whitlow had been superb the last two seasons, but was hindered by knee surgery that he underwent after this past season's game at Florida. If he does indeed move on, it would leave a huge void for a backfield that has sputtered on the ground the last two seasons. Returners D.J. Williams, Mark-Antony Richards and Shaun Shivers would certainly benefit from Whitlow's departure, along with true freshman Tank Bigsby. 

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



Monday, February 3rd, 2020

​An in-state quarterback will don the orange and blue. 

Sawyer Pate, a 3-star signal-caller who led Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson to the Class 7A state championship this past season, has pledged to Auburn. Pate committed today as a preferred walk-on, meaning he'll have a chance to earn a scholarship in a year. He visited the program on Sunday, and picked the Tigers over Mississippi State. 

"Auburn is home," Pate said. "I grew up being a fan and going to a lot of games. My dream was to play for Auburn. I loved the visit! As soon as I put on that jersey I knew it was where I needed to be." 

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Pate is the No. 93 pro-style QB nationally for 2020. He guided Thompson to a 12-1 season last fall. The team blew out Phenix City Central 40-14 in the state final. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pate was the game's Most Valuable Player. 

For the season, the 6-feet-1, 205-pound Pate went 229-of-306 passing for 3,139 yards with 41 touchdowns and three interceptions. He succeeded Taulia Tagovailoa, a four-star recruit a year earlier who is now at Alabama, and produced similar - and sometimes better- stats in many categories. 

As of now, it appears possible that Auburn will have only three scholarship quarterbacks on campus in 2020 - Bo Nix, Cord Sandberg and Chaylil Garnett. "I think I'll be given the opportunity to prove to my teammates and to the coaches that I can compete at a high level and produce for this team," Pate said. 

During his visit to Auburn on Sunday, Pate and his family spent time with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks Chad Morris. "Coach Morris is a great coach and an even better person," Pate assessed. "He's a father of a quarterback so he knows how stressful this recruiting process is. The limited time we had together told me a lot about him. He doesn't just want to make me a better quarterback but to make me a successful person for my future. I'm ready to get down there and get ready for the upcoming season." 

In other news.....

- Auburn basketball is on the road tomorrow night at Arkansas. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. 

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

Saturday, February 1st, 2020

Auburn basketball clinched its sweetest win of the season (at least at this moment) in upsetting 13th-ranked Kentucky 75-66 in Auburn Arena tonight. 

As virtually everyone anticipated, the game was a neck-in-neck shootout, at least until Danjel Purifoy canned a trey from the corner with 3:59 left to give the Tigers a 62-60 lead that they would never let slip away. Samir Doughty put the icing on the cake by hitting four free throws in the final minute. He led the Tiger offense with 23 points, and also snagged five rebounds. 

​The victory was Auburn's second-straight over the Wildcats and its fourth in the last seven matches against UK going back to 2016. Simply put, Bruce Pearl's troops showed unquestioned grit, determination and courage in giving UK all it could handle and, in the process, securing a program-making victory. 

Now, the Tigers have just a short amount of time to rest before going back on the road, this time to Arkansas on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT. That game will be televised on the SEC Network. 

In other news.....

​- While the basketball team was tangling with UK, the football team gained its fourth commitment for 2021. Phillip O'Brien Jr., a three-star safety from Deerfield Beach, Fla., gave his pledge to Auburn. 

​According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, O'Brien stands as the No. 15 safety in the Class of '21 and the No. 58 overall recruit from the state of Florida. Prior to O'Brien's announcement, the 2021 class ranked  No. 14 in the nation and No. 3 in the SEC, according to the 247Sports Composite. 

With National Signing Day to commence in four days, O'Brien will hopefully prove to be a valuable asset for Kevin Steele's defense. 

In closing, if you're planning to watch the Super Bowl tomorrow (at home or elsewhere), enjoy it. I certainly will. Personally, I'm pulling for the Chiefs, mainly because they've only won one Super Bowl title, while the 49ers have won five. The Chiefs' lone triumph happened five decades ago in Super Bowl IV, when they beat the Vikings, 23-7. Kansas City's head coach was the late Hank Stram. I remember watching video highlights of him in that game on several VHS tapes, and as the first NFL head coach to ever wear a microphone, he provided several clever quotes, my personal favorite of which was, "Just keep 'matriculatin' the ball down the field, boys." 

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