​​Lyle's Corner

Sunday, January 31st, 2016

 

This isn't a typical mindset for me, but I felt pretty uneasy about Auburn's clash with Oklahoma State of the Big 12 in the days leading up to the match. 

 

It didn't take me long to realize that my wariness had validity, as the Tigers bowed to the Cowboys, 74-63. Auburn fell to 9-11 overall, 3-5 in the SEC. Meanwhile, OSU improved to 11-10 overall, 2-6 in Big 12 play.

 

Cinmeon Bowers, the team's third-leading scorer and rebound leader,  was suspended for disciplinary reasons, although coach Bruce Pearl said he expects him to return for a home game against LSU on Tuesday night. 

 

The highlight for Auburn was Horace Spencer. In a career game, he had six points, 11 rebounds and six blocks while playing 27 minutes, the most in his career. But that wasn't enough to overtake the Cowboys. 

 

"It's OK if you didn't enjoy that basketball because that wasn't very good basketball," Pearl said, aptly summing up Auburn's sluggish performance. 

 

On the bright side, he was sure to praise Spencer's performance. "Horace Spencer played really hard, played really well," he said. "He definitely was a factor out there. When he plays with that motor, he plays like Dennis Rodman. But he doesn't play with that motor all the time." 

 

Spencer himself said there's room for improvement. "I'm happy with the way I played, but I'm not satisfied. I know we can do better," he said. 

 

As for the disciplined Bowers, Pearl said, "I don't want our fans to be too upset with him. These are young guys and they do make mistakes. Cim just gets very passionate. His conduct recently warranted him not playing the last 17 minutes against Ole Miss and not playing tonight. He feels badly. He's apologized. I'm hopeful he'll come back and finish the season strong." 

 

Losing Bowers left Auburn three players down from the start of the season. The Tigers have been without starting guards Tahj Shamsid-Deen and T.J. Dunans for weeks. Yesterday, Auburn played three freshmen at the same time at one point. There were two walk-ons and a freshman on the court when Oklahoma State led 57-48 with 7:50 left to play. 

 

Kareem Canty led the Tigers in scoring with 21 points. Unfortunately, the team has come to depend too much on him.  "All you can do is see if he can make enough plays," Pearl said. "Those are the things that your point guard should do at the end of games, or the end of halves, but not for 30 minutes. Other guys have to step up." 

 

Tyler Harris, in his eighth double-double of the season, recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds. 

 

After a slow start, in which Auburn was down by 14, they then used a 12-0 run, and hot 3-point shooting to cut OSU's lead to 31-28. The Cowboys then countered with a small run of their own to take a 40-31 lead into intermission. 

 

Spencer was solid inside in the first half with four points, six rebounds and three blocks. He also stayed out of foul trouble, committing only one in the fist half. That was a big help in Bowers' absence. 

 

The Tigers trailed 55-44 with 10 minutes to go, then trimmed OSU's lead to 57-52 with 6:28 remaining. But, alas, the Tigers could not pull any closer. 

 

Auburn will host LSU at 6:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday. The game will be televised by either ESPN, ESPNU, or the SEC Network. My best guess is that the network will be decided on tomorrow. I'll keep an eye out for it. 

 

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

 

 

 

Thursday, January 28th, 2016

 

Auburn's 80-63 loss to Ole Miss at the new Pavilion in Oxford yesterday evening could best be described as a tale of two halves. 

 

The first half was a wall-to-wall shootout, and the final stat sheet showed it. By game's end, there had been five ties, and nine lead changes. Bryce Brown's 3-pointer just before the halftime horn gave Auburn a narrow 30-29 edge.

 

In the second half, though, things went south in a hurry for Auburn, as a lack of depth caught up with them. After being held to just 32 percent shooting in the first half, the Rebels shot 55.9 percent in the second half and outscored the Tigers 55-31. They also led Auburn in points from the bench, 34-11, and in rebounds 40-33. 

 

Auburn's T.J. Lang was the highlight of the night, with a career-best 19 points, including five treys. Head coach Bruce Pearl was very pleased with Lang's performance.

 

 "It was great to see TJ Lang play with confidence," he said.  "He really wanted the basketball. He was circling back and hunting. It was very positive for him." 

 

Tyler Harris posted 16 points for the Tigers, while Kareem Canty, the team's leading scorer for the season, finished with eight points, eight rebounds and nine assists. 

 

Auburn dropped to 9-10 overall, 3-5 in SEC play, while the Rebels went to 13-7 overall, 3-5 in the conference. 

 

Coach Pearl didn't have to look very far for an explanation as to his squad's recent slump. 

 

"Our problem right now is we're not getting better," he lamented. "We're so banged up. We're scrapping and we're clawing. We've got some wins against all odds, but it definitely is wearing on us." 

 

The Tigers will get a chance to rekindle the flame when they host Oklahoma State in a clash with the Big 12 on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

 

In other news...

 

- While it's obviously far too early to tell if Jeremy Johnson will regain his spot as Auburn's starting quarterback for the 2016 season, one thing can be written in stone: You'll be seeing him with a new jersey number. 

 

After wearing No.6 for the past three seasons, Johnson, a senior,  will switch to No. 1. The reason behind it is very touching. He will be honoring the late Fred Davis, a former teammate of his from Carver High School in Montgomery, who lost his life in a car accident in January of 2011. 

 

No. 1 was previously the jersey worn by former receiver Duke Williams until his dismissal from the team this past October. 

 

Personally, I believe that anybody who is willing to wear a certain number to observe a fallen teammate deserves a pat on the back. Don't you agree? 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

 

I came across some news late last night that I feel led to share today. Unfortunately, it isn't pleasant. 

 

A source told AL.com that running back Kerryon Johnson will miss the bulk of spring practices due to offseason shoulder surgery. 

 

Johnson finished the 2015 campaign as the Tigers' third-leading rusher with 208 yards and three rushing touchdowns while playing tailback and quarterback in the Wildcat formation. He also caught 14 passes for 159 yards.  

 

He was expected to vie for playing time in 2016 against Jovon Robinson and Roc Thomas, but the source says that he will miss contact drills.  

 

A university spokesman confirmed that Johnson underwent a "procedure" but said that coaches are not yet "ready to rule him out" for spring practice entirely.

 

The surgery is expected to leave Auburn with three healthy backs entering the spring. Leading rusher Peyton Barber declared for the NFL Draft last Monday.

 

Freshman Malik Miller, Johnson's former teammate at Madison Academy, enrolled in classes at Auburn earlier this month. He was rated a three-star prospect.  

 

Perhaps Johnson's best game came in the Birmingham Bowl against Memphis, during which he caught a pass for a 36-yard gain on a fake punt by Kevin Phillips, and scored an 8-yard TD.

 

I wish Kerryon a speedy recovery, and hope that he is able to return to practice soon and be back in full swing for 2016.

 

As a sensible closing to this post, don't forget that the basketball team travels to Ole Miss tomorrow night at 6 PM Central. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. Let's all hope the Tigers can turn their road fortunes around.

 

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

 

 

 

Sunday, January 24th, 2016

 

It's quite likely that Auburn fans felt confident that their basketball team was destined for a more pleasant fate after seeing them notch two thrilling victories over Kentucky and Alabama in the previous week.

 

Last night, however, the Tigers took a harsh plunge back to reality in Gainesville, Fla. The Gators demolished Auburn 95-63 in O'Connell Center, giving the Tigers a 2-7 mark on the road this season. Florida has now beaten the Plainsmen in 19 of their last 20 meetings. 

 

Auburn slipped to 9-9 overall, 3-4 in league play, while the Gators improved to 13-6 overall, 5-2 in the SEC.

 

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was very concise about how the game panned out. "It's about match ups," he said. "We just weren't competitive tonight. Give Florida credit, they played great." 

 

Tyler Harris led the Tigers with 14 points. Kareem Canty was close behind with 12. On the Florida side, Dorian Finney-Smith scored 24 to lead five Gators in double figures. 

 

"For us to be competitive, we really need everybody to be firing on all cylinders, myself included." Pearl emphasized. 

 

Such was certainly not the case in this one. The Gators shot 56.9 percent, outrebounded Auburn by 13 (44-31), and had eight blocks. The Tigers, on the other hand, had none.

 

"They got off to a great start," Pearl said. "They physically dominated us inside and kind of had their way with us. They got the ball inside. They shot it great. They played well together. We didn't put up much resistance. They got whatever they wanted inside." 

 

You could say that Pearl's description of Florida's dominance was a gross understatement. In the opening seconds of the match, Auburn canned a 2-pointer and a trey to go up 5-2. 

 

After that, there was little reason for excitement. The Gators took a 15-5 advantage in the first five minutes while shooting 67 percent from the floor. Their largest lead was by 25 when they were shooting 71 percent. 

 

The Tigers picked up the pace in the closing minutes of the half, but were still down 53-32 at halftime. The Gators countered by hitting their first five shots of the second half to take a 66-48 lead with 15:56 to play. 

 

Hopefully, Auburn will have a brighter outcome when they travel to Oxford on Wednesday to battle Ole Miss. The tipoff is set for 6:00 PM CT, with the game being televised by the SEC Network. Today, the Tigers are off in an effort to regroup. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, January 20th, 2016

 

Auburn defeated Alabama 83-77 in a roaring Auburn Arena yesterday evening for their first back-to-back wins against SEC teams since the 2013-14 season. 

 

Cinmeon Bowers and Kareem Canty were the main stars of the show.  

 

Bowers scored 20 points and claimed 17 rebounds. Meanwhile, Canty drained five 3-pointers and finished the night with 25 points. 

 

Despite the stellar stats, Bowers was mostly complimentary of the defense. "It started on defense. Defense. Rebounds," he said after the game. "I always focus on my points. That's going to come regardless, so I just locked in on defense. Coach told me to go rebound the basketball."

 

He fulfilled that duty and then some, with his eighth double-double of the season, and his 22nd in the last two seasons. "It's not really a height thing. It's the will. Do you want the ball or not?" he said. 

 

Head coach Bruce Pearl was sure to praise Bowers. "He was just a man, inside and out. He played terrifically," he stated. "He has been really locked in, he's been really focused. He understood why he got out of the starting lineup. And he understood why he's back in it."

 

"Having him out there at power forward is a good matchup for him because he can do things on the perimeter. He can guard at the perimeter and he's very powerful inside. He's at a good place right now."

 

Alabama head coach Avery Johnson was equally impressed. "If he's making his 3-point shot, he's really tough to cover. He plays with a lot of energy." 

 

Canty started against the Tide despite suffering an ankle injury late in the win over Kentucky which caused him to wear a protective boot for two days. 

 

"He made one 3-pointer that is un-guardable. It was one or two steps, I think, across half court," Johnson stated. "I don't think anybody in the SEC can guard that shot unless you run five guys at him."

 

The Tigers improved to 9-8 overall, 3-3 in the league. Bama fell to 10-7, 1-4 in conference play. 

 

Both squads were highly prone to fouls. Three Tide players fouled out, and one Tiger did as well. Four other players finished with four fouls. 

 

In the first half, the teams tossed the lead and momentum back and forth like two children playing Hot Potato. Auburn jumped out to a 10-2 advantage, then trailed 24-14, but was back in front 40-37 at the break. 

 

That's when Canty got in on the fun. 

 

"Those guys kind of put us on their shoulders," Pearl said. 

 

 

In other news...

 

- Running back Peyton Barber announced on Monday via social media that he would bypass his remaining two years of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. 

 

"I have decided to forego my eligibility at Auburn and enter the 2016 NFL Draft," Barber said in a statement he posted to his Instagram and Twitter accounts. "This was a very tough decision for many reasons, but after my family and I prayed about it, I know I am ready for the next step and that this is the best decision for me. Auburn is a special place and having the opportunity to play football at Auburn has been a dream come true. I am close to graduating, so I will continue to work towards my degree even as I pursue my dream to play in the NFL. 

 

"I would like to thank all of my coaches and all of the support staff at Auburn, especially Coach (Gus) Malzahn, Coach (Rhett) Lashlee and Coach (Tim) Horton. Thank you to all of my teammates as well. Lastly, thank you to  the best fans in the world! I will always be an Auburn Tiger. War Eagle!"

 

Personally, I was pretty surprised with this news. Entering this past season, it was expected that Barber would be on the back burner in the Tigers' backfield, with Roc Thomas leading the way. However, by the second quarter of the season opener against Louisville, all that changed.  When Thomas and Jovon Robinson were both injured - on the same drive, no less - Barber turned it on and finished with 115 yards on 24 carries. He would only get stronger from there, finishing the season as the team's leading rusher, with 1,017 yards and 13 touchdowns on 238 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He became the 15th player to rush for 1,000 yards in a Malzahn-coached offense. 

 

Unfortunately, his contributions diminished as the season neared its end, because Robinson emerged after a lingering ankle injury. During the team's last six games, Barber never recorded more than 13 carries in a game, and averaged just 44 yards per contest. 

 

Barber was expected to enter next season once again in the mix for the starting job with Robinson, who averaged 103.2 yards a game over the final six matches and took home MVP honors at the Birmingham Bowl. 

 

Now, all I can do is wish him the best of luck as he takes this next step in his career. 

 

On an irrelevant side note, I went to see the movie Concussion this past Sunday, and I must say that it was very informative. Will Smith plays the title role of real-life pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, who uncovers the truth about the brains of football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play. If it's still in your theater, I would recommend it. If not, rent or purchase it. I think you'll be intrigued. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Monday, January 18th, 2016

 

"They're not gonna keep 'em off the court today!"

 

Many Auburn fans may have heard this joyous exclamation from broadcaster Rod Bramblett on the Auburn Network radio broadcast this past Saturday afternoon. The statement (which was clearly an homage to his shout of "They're not gonna keep 'em off the field tonight!" after the Kick Six in the 2013 Iron Bowl) aptly summed up the atmosphere on the floor after Auburn's thrilling 75-70 upset of 14th-ranked Kentucky in Auburn Arena. 

 

The victory snapped three different losing skids. First off, it halted a three-game losing streak for the Tigers in conference play. Second, it ended a 15-game losing streak against ranked teams for Auburn (8-8, 2-3 SEC) dating back to Feb. 18, 2012 against Mississippi State. Lastly, it stopped an 18-game losing streak against Kentucky (13-4, 3-2) that went back to 2000. 

 

Perhaps most notoriously, it also marked the first time in Auburn Arena history that the court was stormed, as most of the 9,121 fans in attendance flooded the floor at the buzzer. Of course, the celebration will come with a price (literally) as the Tigers were fined $100,000 under the league's amended policy - which was passed during the SEC's Spring Meetings last May - as it's the school's second such violation. Naturally, however, it's doubtful that anyone cares after a monumental victory like this one. 

 

"I'm just happy for our students because I've not been able to provide that, as I said, that return on the investment yet," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "But when they see moments like that, they say, 'OK, our basketball program is competing in spite of injuries or challenges and look.' It took special effort, but I wanted to be able to see that special celebration. I didn't want to be in the middle of it, because I got killed, but I wanted to be able to watch it and see those guys enjoy themselves."

 

Even before the victory was in the bag, the Tigers kept the Wildcats on their toes in the first half. Despite shooting only 28 percent in the first 20 minutes, Auburn trailed by only five at intermission. 

 

Auburn guard Kareem Canty, who scored 26 points, made sure his teammates never folded. "We told each other we're right here," he said. "It's easy to quit when you're down. ... I didn't want to quit and let my team down. We were down 12 with a lot of time to go, and we started itching away at it slowly, and before you knew it we had the lead."

 

Indeed, the Tiger defense gained its ground and locked down on Kentucky. Auburn gradually trimmed the Wildcats' lead, mostly courtesy of Canty and Tyler Harris. Canty was 5-of-12 on three-point tries, including four in the second half. Harris, meanwhile, had 21 points and 11 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season. The two combined for 35 of Auburn's 45 second-half points. 

 

Harris was able to drain one jump shot all game long, which Pearl said changes the dynamic of Auburn's offense. Canty came alive in the second half after shooting just 2-of-9 before the break. 

 

After Auburn trailed  by 12, Canty scored eight of the team's next 18 points to take the lead with 9:54 to go to cap an 18-4 run. The teams traded baskets the rest of the game, with Auburn leading by as much as seven and Kentucky by just two, briefly, during the 10 minutes. The Tigers went ahead to stay with 1:32 left on a free throw by Canty to complete a three-point play off a drive. 

 

The junior sprained his ankle on the play but stayed in the game and finished strong. He came out with a second left after Cinmeon Bowers got the rebound off a missed three-pointer by Tyler Ulis, who finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to lead UK. 

 

Bowers canned two free throws to seal the upset. Pearl called a timeout before the second try, and Kentucky coach John Calipari cleared his bench, sending every player that wasn't on the court to the locker room before the final buzzer to prevent anyone from getting hurt in the court-storming. It was the first such celebration since a thrilling 72-69 overtime win over Alabama on Feb. 21, 2001. (That game was won on a 40-foot trey by Reggie Sharp as time expired.) 

 

"When you beat Kentucky or North Carolina or Kansas or Duke in college basketball - it's significance," Pearl said. "Look, Kentucky played hard and competed, but what the home crowd does to some teams on some nights is it elevates you. Our play was elevated tonight. But I do think a lot of guys played tonight for the name on the front of their jerseys. I thought they played for Auburn tonight. They were aware how many years it had been since we've beaten Kentucky, and they felt prepared."

 

Very much so. Now the question is will the Tigers be back down to Earth when they host Alabama tomorrow night at 8:00 PM CT? The game will be televised on the SEC Network. 

 

In other news....

 

- Defensive tackle Montravius Adams will return for his senior season in 2016. In 13 games (10 starts) this past season, Adams recorded 44 tackles, including three for loss, as well as 2.5 sacks, six QB hurries, and two forced fumbles. 

 

The 6-foo-4, 296-pound Georgia native joins fellow defensive lineman Carl Lawson as anchors for Auburn's defense for 2016. 

 

Offensive linemen Shon Coleman and Avery Young both declared for the NFL Draft. 

 

- Four-star offensive tackle Brodarious Hamm made an official visit to Auburn this past weekend aiming to get acclimated with new offensive line coach Herb Hand. It worked, and he secured his commitment to the Tigers. Hamm told SEC Country yesterday that he has no intentions to make any more official visits this month, even with late interest from Florida. 

 

"I really kind of got to know coach (Hand)," Hamm said. "That was one of my biggest things, was getting over here and to see what he was about." As a finishing touch, he added, "I'm firmly committed." 

 

Hamm is rated as the No. 32 offensive tackle in the nation. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

​Wednesday, January 13th, 2016

 

​Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was pleased with the valiant effort by his short-handed Tigers last night. Unfortunately, the Tigers simply couldn't stop Vanderbilt's Luke Kornet as the Commodores defeated Auburn by a score of 75-57 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville. 

 

Kornet made the biggest contribution with a triple-double, scoring 11 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking 10 shots. 

 

"We said we can't focus on winning right now. Let's focus on playing hard. We did that. Play hard, focus on getting better and we've got a chance," Pearl said on the Auburn Network radio broadcast following the game. "Our roster is, obviously, challenged." 

 

In falling to the Commodores for the 11th straight time, Auburn slipped to 7-8 overall, 1-3 in the SEC. Meanwhile, Vandy improved to 9-7 overall, 1-3 in the conference. 

 

The Tigers' Cinmeon Bowers recorded his seventh double-double of the season, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. 

 

Kareem Canty, despite being limited to one 3-pointer, led Auburn with 16 points. 

 

However, Pearl said his freshmen, thrust into action because of injuries to others, had a very difficult time on the road. 

 

"I'm a little disappointed in the freshmen," he said. "They didn't help us tonight. They're not freshmen. We're halfway through the season."

 

Vandy made life miserable for Auburn, particularly by taking away the Tigers' 3-point shooting. When the contest was in the record books, Auburn had hit just four of 3-point tries. 

 

The Commodores nailed seven treys to Auburn's one 3-pointer in opening up a 45-26 lead with 17:02 remaining in the game. 

 

Vandy did most of the damage in the first half, shooting 77 percent in racing out to a 25-13 advantage. It was shooting 78 percent when it led 37-20. 

 

Although that figure diminished to 67 percent, the Dores still enjoyed a 39-22 lead at the break. Auburn hit one of its 11 3-point tries in the first half.

 

The Tigers play host to Kentucky on Saturday at 3 p.m. in a game that will be televised on ESPN.

 

In other news...

 

- It's now official: The football team has a new offensive line coach. Former Penn State offensive line coach Herb Hand has been hired at the same position by Auburn. Hand has previous ties with Gus Malzahn, having worked with him at Tulsa from 2007-08. He replaces J.B. Grimes, who left to become the offensive line coach at Cincinnati. 

 

- Bad news on the recruiting front. The morning after its in-state rival claimed the national title, prized 2017 QB prospect Lowell Narcisse has chosen to explore his options again. He explained, "After praying and talking with my family, I've decided to de-commit from Auburn. I think I rushed and made a premature decision. I still plan to communicate and nurture a relationship with them. But at this time I will open my recruitment back up. My main goal now is to continue to get my health better and be a leader and role model to my team." 

 

While there's always hope that he will change his mind, this is by no means a good sign for Gus Malzahn and his staff.

 

Let this serve as a reminder to never start celebrating a recruit until he signs his name on the dotted line. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, January 10th, 2016

 

The pattern is becoming all too familiar for Auburn fans. The basketball team remains short-benched, and its shooting woes continue. 

 

Auburn shot 37.3 percent from the floor and a paltry 7-of-23 (.304) from 3-point range in losing to Missouri 76-61 at Mizzou Arena yesterday evening. 

 

Meanwhile, Missouri shot 39.3 percent from the floor and 7-of-19 (.368) from behind the arc. The home Tigers outshot Auburn 25-of-33 to 16-of-24 from the foul line. Mizzou also outrebounded Auburn 41-34 and committed just eight turnovers to Auburn's 14. 

 

Kareem Canty, who came in averaging 19.5 points and second in the NCAA with 4.0 three-point field goals per game, was held to nine points on 2-of-9 shooting, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range. 

 

Kevin Puryear led four Mizzou players in double figures with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. 

 

This contest wasn't exactly of the nip-and-tuck variety. Missouri used a 17-2 run to take a 32-18 lead with 2:16 left in the first half behind three 3-pointers from D'Angelo Allen, Kevin Puryear and Tramaine Isabell. Mizzou increased the count to 39-24 at intermission as Auburn shot 29.6 percent from the floor and 1-of-10 from 3-point range. 

 

Missouri scored its first seven points of the second half from the foul line on four consecutive trips to take a commanding 46-27 advantage. Auburn gave War Eagle fans a brief glimmer of hope by using a 16-8 run to cut it to 52-38 with 15:47 to play on a trey by Bryce Brown. 

 

However, Mizzou mounted the margin to its largest at 74-48 with 4:34 to go. Auburn scored the last nine points of the match. 

 

Tyler Harris led Auburn in scoring with a game-high 21 points and Bryce Brown recorded 11.

 

Auburn fell to 7-7 overall, 1-2 in SEC play. Missouri improved to 8-7, 1-1 in the league.  

 

Auburn goes on the road again to face Vanderbilt in Nashville on Tuesday night. The tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, with the game being televised by ESPNU. Vandy (8-7, 0-3) lost to No. 22 South Carolina 69-65 last night. 

 

In other news...

 

- Another change in the football team's coaching staff could ​be looming. Offensive line coach J.B. Grimes is set to interview for a coaching position on the Cincinnati staff, a source told AL.com's Brandon Marcello. 

 

Cincinnati is coached by former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who will interview Grimes today. Grimes has been an assistant under current head coach Gus Malzahn since their time together at Arkansas State in 2012. 

 

There is already a link between Grimes and Cincinnati: Grimes' son, Nick, is a graduate assistant with the Bearcats. 

 

If offered a position, Grimes is expected to leave Auburn and accept a job with Cincy, a source told Marcello. 

 

Under Grimes, Auburn finished fifth in the SEC and 35th in the nation in rushing in 2015. The Tigers' rushing attack averaged 196.31 yards on the ground per game. 

 

In 2013, Auburn became the first SEC school to lead the country in rushing. 

 

Marcello named Penn State offensive line coach Herb Hand as a possible replacement for Grimes, if he indeed chooses to leave. Hand is close friends with Malzahn, and the two coached together at Tulsa. 

 

Only time will tell what Grimes decides to do. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, January 8th, 2016

 

Gus Malzahn sure knows how to stay on the move, especially when it comes to hiring coaches. 

 

Yesterday, he hired two new defensive coaches to round out his staff. 

 

First off, he hired former New Orleans Saints secondary coach Wesley McGriff as Auburn's new secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator. He has a major dosage of experience at both the college and professional levels. 

 

"I'm really excited to be working with Coach Malzahn and his staff at Auburn," McGriff said in a press release by the university. "I've always had a high regard for Auburn and the football program and I'm looking forward to helping them win championships." 

 

McGriff coached the defensive backs in New Orleans for three seasons after spending two previous seasons in the SEC. He served as the co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Ole Miss in 2012 after spending a season in charge of Vanderbilt's secondary. His first major coaching gig came at Kentucky in 2001-02 before landing jobs at Baylor and Miami (Fla.). 

 

Malzahn said he was enthused about adding a coach with as high a pedigree as McGriff to his staff. "I'm very pleased to add Wesley to our staff at Auburn," he said in the release. "He has a tremendous amount of experience and success in developing players at the college and NFL levels. Wesley's a true professional and a man of character that will be a great coach and mentor for our players." 

 

McGriff will be responsible for improving the Tigers' pass defense, which finished the 2015 season ranked 63rd in the nation in that category, having given up an average of 222.6 passing yards per game. 

 

But the hiring didn't stop there. 

 

Malzahn also brought a new linebackers coach on board, and he himself is a former Auburn linebacker. Travis Williams, who played for the Tigers from 2002-05, and also served as a graduate assistant and defensive analyst for the team, has been hired to lead the aforementioned unit. 

 

He was named to the All-SEC team during Auburn's undefeated 2004 season, during which he led the team in tackles during the 13-0 slate. He garnered the same honor in 2005. 

 

Personally, one play that I vividly recall him making was on October 2nd, 2004, against Tennessee in Knoxville. With Auburn holding a commanding 24-3 advantage, the Volunteers had driven to the Tigers' 33-yard line. Freshman quarterback Erik Ainge fired a pass....only to have it batted up into the air and grabbed by Williams before it hit the ground. Interception. That was one of six turnovers the Vols committed that night. We went on to beat their socks off, 34-10. 

 

Oh, yeah. One other thing to wind this post up. This may seem a bit irrelevant to you, but not to me. I don't ever watch "Jeopardy!", simply because the answers to the questions (or is it "questions to the answers"?) are excruciatingly difficult. That's pretty shocking for someone who's been a life-long game show buff, isn't it? However, three nights ago, a contestant named Terry made a hilarious slip-up. One of the categories in the first round was "Colleges by Team Names." Now, for even an average sports fan, this would be the perfect chance to pile up some easy dough, right? 

Well, contestant Steve chose the $200 answer for that category. The answer was, "Crimson Tide." Now, anybody who hasn't lived under a rock would know that that's Alabama, right? 

Not Terry. He buzzed in and responded, "What is Auburn?" Oops! The miss cost him $200, and Steve buzzed in with the correct answer, after which host Alex Trebek said, "Terry's gonna hear from University of Alabama people on that one."

 

That's a gross understatement, Alex. Unsurprisingly, the clip is now running rampant on YouTube. 

 

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

 

 

 

 ​Thursday, January 7th, 2016
 
One Tiger will stay, and one Tiger will go. 
 
I'll start off with the bad news. Left tackle Shon Coleman will forego his senior season with Auburn and enter the NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, 313-pound Coleman announced his decision yesterday via Twitter. 
 
"It was a very hard decision but I've decided to forego my final year and enter the NFL Draft. I'll forever be an Auburn Tiger!" he wrote. 
 
Coleman has played in 32 career games with 25 starts. He's started 26 of Auburn's last 27 contests with the lone exception being this season's match against Idaho, during which he was sidelined by a right knee injury. 
 
He earned Second Team All-SEC honors this season from the league's coaches. 
 
I wish him nothing but the best as he begins this new journey in his life. 
 
Now, for the good news: Redshirt sophomore defensive end Carl Lawson will return to the team next season. 
He also announced his decision on Twitter, but in a different manner: He used a series of images from the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street." 
 
Lawson missed the entire 2014 campaign after suffering a torn ACL in spring practice. The 6-foot-2, 261-pounder also suffered a hip injury in this season's opener against Louisville and only saw action in seven games as a result. 
 
Lawson recorded 17 tackles, 3 for loss, with one sack and 11 quarterback hurries. 
 
I have firm confidence that his return will be one thing that the Auburn defense could majorly afford, especially for the sake of generating a pass rush....something it clearly lacked this season. 
 
That's all for now. Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE! 
 
 
Wednesday, January 6th, 2016
 

Wow! I finally get to write my first post of the new year! Unfortunately, it's not a positive one. 

 

All sports junkies are familiar with the age-old adage, "There is no 'I' in team." That certainly held true for Auburn's basketball team against South Carolina last night.

 

Auburn forward Tyler Harris canned his first nine shots and scored 22 points. On the flip side, however, the Tigers committed a season-high 21 turnovers, 15 of which came in the first half. The latter figure threatened to surpass the season-high 17 it committed in the entire game against Tennessee. 

 

The gaffes proved too much to overcome as the Tigers fell to the Gamecocks by a final score of 81-69. 

 

"We're playing a team that is undefeated, playing them at home, and it takes about 10 minutes before we turn it up and really compete," said Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl. 

 

Harris was also aware of his team's lackluster start. "It took us awhile to calm down," he concurred. 

 

Commenting on the mistakes, Pearl said, "I thought half of our 21 turnovers were just plays that we lost composure and just didn't take care of it." Harris said that the miscues "really affected us." 

 

With three minutes to go in the first half, the Gamecocks had an 18-point lead, but a 6-0 run by Auburn, or, in particular, by Harris, trimmed South Carolina's advantage to 59-51 with 11:30 to play in the game. A trey by Bryce Brown made it a 59-54 margin with 10:48 to go as the Auburn faithful cheered relentlessly. 

 

South Carolina coach Frank Martin was quick to praise the vivaciousness of the arena. "The atmosphere in that building has become tremendous," he said. 

 

However, the Gamecocks would soon take the roar right out of the crowd despite Harris' stellar outing and 21 points by Kareem Canty. 

 

Harris recorded nine 2-point baskets. The rest of the Tigers combined for a mere three. That really shouldn't come as a total shock considering that they played with a short bench again due to injuries to three guards.                 

Five players played at least 31 minutes apiece, with Harris and Canty nearly going the whole way. 

 

Given the number of errors the Tigers committed, it's not hard to see why South Carolina had a 43-30 cushion at the break, and kept the pressure on Auburn as the game progressed. 

 

The Gamecocks improved to 14-0 overall, while Auburn fell to 7-6. The Tigers hope to rebound on the road at Missouri on Saturday. The opening tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPN2. 

 

I dedicate this post to my grandfather, who passed away peacefully this past Sunday afternoon at the age of 87. He had battled bone cancer for a long time, and was beyond eager to be in Heaven with his devoted wife of 66 years, Shirley, (whom my family and I affectionately called "Memee") who passed away last summer. My grandfather loved Auburn to no end, and we will all miss both of my grandparents so much, but we know that they are so overjoyed to be together again, and our time will come to see them again when God says it's time. May they both rest in peace. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

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