November 2016

Lyle's Corner

Wednesday, November 30th, 2016
Like any Auburn fan, coach Bruce Pearl has good reason to be concerned about his team after their lackluster 90-83 win over USC Upstate on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena.

"If you're a little disappointed in how we're playing right now, you should be. And if you're wondering how good this team really is going to be, you should wonder. We've given you enough reason to," he said.

However, there was one bright spot in Mustapha Heron. He had a great performance, scoring a team-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists.

"Mustapha Heron continues to play really solidly," Pearl stated.

"That's just how the flow of the game works," Heron lamented. "Our team is based on feeding off the hot hand. I guess I was the hot hand tonight."

That may be true, but nine other Tigers joined in the scoring, too. To name a couple, LaRon Smith tallied 15 points, while Ronnie Johnson and Jared Harper had 10 apiece. Auburn recorded eight dunks on the night. Unfortunately, the Spartans had their own playmaker in 7-foot Michael Buchanan. He had 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Auburn led by 18 in the first half, but the never-say-die Spartans cut that margin to single digits in the game's closing minutes.

Even in the first half, the Spartans hung tough, going on a 13-0 run in the final minutes of that period. However, the Tigers retaliated with a 13-1 bulge of their own that carried over into the early moments of the second half.

Auburn took a 42-32 advantage into the locker room at intermission.

The Spartans didn't lie down in the second half, going on a 12-2 run that trimmed the Tigers' lead to 84-79 with 1:26 to play.

"I don't think we had the effort and the energy and the tenacity to finish plays, and that's why they came back," Pearl explained.

Even so, the Tigers improved to 5-1, while USC Upstate slipped to 3-4. Still, Pearl didn't deny that lots of work needs to be done.

"I'm happy with being 5-1 after six games, but I'm not happy with the quality of our play. The stat sheet, I don't think, tells the story in the sense you score 90, you have 23 assists and seven turnovers, you shoot 53 percent in the second half...there are some numbers there, but we're not playing as well together as we need to. We can play better together," he said.

Auburn fans can only hope that improvement starts when the Tigers travel to Birmingham to face UAB on Saturday night. The game is set for a 7:30 p.m. CT tipoff, and will be televised on beIN Sports.

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

Monday, November 28th, 2016
The bowl selections haven't even been announced, but head coach Gus Malzahn already has an update on injured quarterback Sean White.

Malzahn told ESPN that White will be "full force and ready to go" for the Tigers' bowl game in a report published today. Auburn Undercover reported yesterday that White will be healthy for the bowl game.

White didn't play in the last two regular season games, including Auburn's 30-12 loss to Alabama in the Iron Bowl, due to re-injuring his throwing shoulder on Nov. 12 against Georgia. He sat out the first half against Vanderbilt on Nov. 5, but was forced into action when it appeared the Tigers were in trouble. He immediately guided his team down the field to a touchdown.

"Sean hung in there and tried to play against Georgia, but just wasn't close," Malzahn told ESPN. "We weren't going to rush him back after that, but he should be fine for the bowl game."

Malzahn said Saturday night he did not know if White would be available for the bowl game, but changed that view less than 24 hours later in the aforementioned interview.

Malzahn will not be made available to local reporters until at least Sunday, when bowl announcements will be made. Auburn is destined to land a spot in the Sugar Bowl if Florida loses to Alabama in the SEC Championship.

In other news...

- At least two Auburn seniors are headed for the Senior Bowl in January.

- Defensive tackle Montravius Adams accepted an invitation to play in the bowl game set for Jan. 28 in Mobile.

- Adams had an excellent regular season, leading all defensive linemen with 39 tackles, 15 quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries. He also had 8.5 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks.

- Adams returned a fumble 13 yards for a score against Mississippi State and also recorded a seven-yard interception return - the second pick of his career.

- Safety Rudy Ford accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl earlier this month.

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

Friday, November 25th, 2016
I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. I sure did, because my family and I got to spend most of the day with some of our close friends.

But while most of us spent the day with those we hold dear, the Auburn football team had something of their own to be thankful for: a new commitment.

Noah Igbinoghene, a four-star receiver from Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) was once in a fierce battle with Notre Dame and Duke.

However, when Auburn offered him on Nov. 5, he noted that "this changes things."

It did indeed. The Tigers rose to the top of his list in a flash. Ultimately, he pledged to Auburn yesterday afternoon, announcing his commitment via Twitter.

Igbinoghene is commitment No. 16 for Auburn's 2017 class. One of those verbals (long snapper Bill Taylor) will blue shirt, which means he won't count as part of the final 2017 tally.

The Tigers have approximately 10 vacant spots left.

The 6-feet, 190-pound Igbinoghene stands as the No. 33 receiver and the No. 254 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Igbinoghene is notorious for his terrific speed. He's a sub-4.5-second runner in the 40-yard dash.

He hauled in 55 catches for 712 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Also, he rushed for 751 yards and 10 scores on 94 carries.

According to Igbinoghene, one factor in his decision was that "They run the same offense we do. I think it would be a good fit."

It also helped that Auburn was close to home. Additionally, he has a close bond with Auburn receivers coach Kodi Burns, a former Tiger standout now in his first year as an Auburn assistant.

Igbinoghene is Burns' first commitment with the Tigers.

Igbinoghene had hoped to be an early enrollee, but that now appears unlikely. Instead, he intends to enroll at Auburn next summer.

In other news...

- The men's basketball team lost to Purdue by a score of 96-71 on Wednesday night. The Tigers will return to action next Tuesday night when they host South Carolina Upstate in Auburn Arena. The tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT. The game will be available on SECN+ (Internet).

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

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016

Auburn had a seemingly comfortable 19-point lead over Texas Tech in the second half of last night's Cancun Challenge opener. Then, like sand trickling through your fingers, the lead slowly slipped away.

In the waning seconds, the Tigers were only up by two. They had to hang on for dear life as the Red Raiders had one last chance to tie the game and force overtime.

Here came Auburn forward LaRon Smith to save the day. "I said no way I'm going to let him get that layup," he said.

Sure enough, Smith kept his word, swatting the ball away in the final seconds to allow the Tigers to escape with a 67-65 victory.

Auburn improved to 4-0 for only the second time in a decade. The Tigers will face Purdue tonight at 7:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. The Boilermakers topped Utah State last night, 85-64.

Mustapha Heron led Auburn with 15 points, while Danjel Purifoy scored 11. They became the first Auburn freshmen to score in double digits in their first four games since Scott Pohlman did so in the 1997-98 campaign.

When the Tigers were up by 19 in the second half, Texas Tech was struggling to score, as it went on a futile stretch without a field goal for 12 and 1/2 minutes. Then, momentum took a perilous swing in their direction.

The Red Raiders' strong surge was partly due to rebounds.

"I thought that energized them," Tigers' head coach Bruce Pearl said on Auburn's post-game radio show. "I thought we stopped guarding in the second half. But, hey, I'd rather learn and win than learn and lose."

Wouldn't anybody? In the end, the final result was in Auburn's favor. "It was a great win for our program, a great win for our kids," Pearl said. "Texas Tech is an NCAA-caliber tournament team."

The Red Raiders fell to 3-1 and will play either Utah State or Purdue tonight to wrap up their portion of the Challenge.

Jared Harper complemented the Tigers with 10 points. Smith and Ronnie Johnson contributed off the bench as well.

"LaRon is our best rim protector," Pearl stated. "Ronnie Johnson gave us a big 3 when Texas Tech was making their run. He didn't have many plays, but that was a huge one. And LaRon didn't have many plays, but he had some rebound baskets, he had some offensive rebounds and he was our best rim protector."

In other news...
- Good news in the injury department on the football team. Running back Kamryn Pettway and fullback Chandler Cox, Auburn's best blocker in the backfield, are both set to return for the Iron Bowl on Saturday. The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. Maybe - just maybe - this will boost the Tigers' chances of bringing home an upset.

In closing, I'd like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Always remember to count your blessings, and hold those you love very dear. Life is a precious gift, and it can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Never take it for granted. Plus, always thank the troops overseas who fight for our nation's freedom each day, sacrificing time with their loved ones in doing so.

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

Sunday, November 20th, 2016
It had been 114 games since Auburn had recorded a shutout.

"We knew that we were capable of it," linebacker Deshaun Davis said. "We feel like we could have gotten one earlier on in the year. We finally got it on senior night and our last home game. It was big for those seniors, to send them out. They can say they got a shutout in their last home game."

The Tigers indeed accomplished that goal, posting a 55-0 trouncing of FCS foe Alabama A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium yesterday evening. Auburn hadn't held an opponent off the scoreboard since a 34-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe in the 2008 opener.

Head coach Gus Malzahn echoed Davis' feelings.

"It is so hard to get a shutout in college football," he said. "Our defense has played excellent all year and I think that was great to see. Anytime you get a shutout, it is something special."

So true. Even if it is against an inferior opponent such as this. Let's break down this victory.

Offense: Although Auburn sputtered at times in the first half, they got in gear as the game progressed, and finished the night with 598 total yards, 451 of which came on the ground. Kam Martin gave life to an injury-laden backfield, gaining 176 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. It was the second-most yards in the second half by an Auburn running back since Stephen Davis' 189 yards against Arkansas in 1994. In the passing department, Jeremy Johnson had a solid showing in place of the injured Sean White, going 14-of-19 for 147 yards and a TD. It was Johnson's first start of the season, as well as his first extensive playing time since the season opener against Clemson. John Franklin III did a nice job in mop-up duty, amassing 81 yards rushing on four carries despite not throwing a pass. Any struggles the Tigers had at times can somewhat be credited to injuries and playing second-stringers.

Defense: How can you complain when the defense limits an opponent to just 130 total yards (including just 27 on the ground) and no points? The Bulldogs didn't crack the century mark in total yardage until midway through the third period. Plus, their only series in Auburn territory all night came after a fumble on a punt return by Stephen Roberts. The Tigers also recorded a blocked field goal (courtesy of Maurice Swain) and two turnovers, both interceptions (one by Montravius Adams on a deflection, the other by Roberts). Another superb performance by Kevin Steele's squad.

Special teams: A decent performance, but nothing incredible. Roberts fumbled a punt, and Daniel Carlson missed a 54-yard field goal. Plus, Kevin Phillips only averaged 32 yards on three punts, and the Tigers only had 32 yards in returns. Not that any of this made any difference yesterday, of course. There's still plenty of time to brush up on those struggles in time for the Iron Bowl.

Overall: The Tigers needed a big performance after last week's upset loss to Georgia, and that's just what they got. The offense hit on all cylinders, and the defense was relentless. Now, Auburn must focus on its annual showdown with Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Now, I realize that an upset of the Tide seems a distant dream away, but with all of the upsets that have unfolded this year, I dare not bet against it. The Tigers still have what it takes to give Bama a run for its money, and even shock the world. You just never know. Miracles DO happen.

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

Saturday, November 19th, 2016
Mustapha Heron was red hot from virtually anywhere on the court against Eastern Kentucky on Thursday night.

The freshman guard canned all eight of his shots from the floor and tallied a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds to guide Auburn to an 85-64 triumph over the valiant Colonels. As a result, the Tigers are now 3-0.

However, it didn't come so easily. EKU led for most of the first half before Auburn battled back to take a 37-34 lead into the locker room at the half. In the second half, the Tigers built a slim 52-50 advantage. Then, they really got rolling.

"I think Mustapha started it off," head coach Bruce Pearl stated. "We got him the ball and posted him up a couple of times and he big-boyed them. That's what he's supposed to do."

Indeed. However, several of his teammates also contributed. Freshman Danjel Purifoy posted 16 points and eight rebounds, while graduate transfer Ronnie Johnson recorded 13 points of his own. In the process, he reached the 1,000-point mark in his career.

Now, Auburn can turn its attention to a trip to Mexico for the Cancun Classic next week.

Eastern Kentucky only shot 32.8 percent for the night, and only 28.9 percent in the second half. The Tigers dominated the Colonels in rebounds by a 51-31 margin.

Pearl aptly summed it up , saying, "Our defense continues to carry us."

"I thought the physicality of Ronnie Johnson, Anfernee McLemore and Mustapha Heron....made the difference. Our most physical players stepped up," he added.

The Tigers were out of sync in the early going, only nailing two of their first 14 shots.

With 11:21 left in the first half, the Colonels led 17-12. They subsequently took a 22-19 cushion later on. By then, Auburn had shot a dismal 26 percent overall, and just 13 percent from 3-point range.

But the Tigers went on a 9-0 run to take a 37-32 lead. EKU rang a buzzer-beater to make it 37-34 at the break.

Purifoy was already on fire at that point, with 13points and six rebounds in the first half.

The Tigers took control in the second half, hitting five of seven shots during a run to finally allow them to open the gap to 55-48 with 11:09 to play. They never looked back.

The Colonels fell to 1-2.

Auburn will play Texas Tech in Cancun next Tuesday, with the game set for 5 p.m. CT on the CBS Sports Network. After that, the Tigers will play either No. 15 Purdue or Utah State the next day.

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

Thursday, November 17th, 2016

Tack on yet another name to the list of injured Auburn football players, this time a defensive end.

Sophomore Byron Cowart will miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

Cowart recorded six tackles (one for loss) and one forced fumble on the season. The former five-star prospect, one of the top signees in Auburn history, has spent most of the past two seasons as a reserve on Rodney Garner's defensive line.

The 15th-ranked Tigers (7-3, 5-2 SEC) are faced with a string of injuries - mostly on offense- entering the final two games of the regular season, including a road trip to face top-ranked Alabama in two weeks.

Cowart underwent his surgery early yesterday morning.

"I don't know the status for how long he's out," head coach Gus Malzahn stated. "It went well and he's recovering well."

On offense, Auburn could be without as many as four starters when they host Alabama A&M at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Running back Kamryn Pettway (quadricep) will be sidelined, as will senior receiver Marcus Davis (shoulder), who will miss the remainder of the season. Running backs Kerryon Johnson (ankle) and Stanton Truitt (ankle) are also recovering from injuries. Fullback Chandler Cox hurt his knee in the fourth quarter in a 13-7 loss at Georgia.

Quarterback Sean White re-injured his throwing shoulder against the Bulldogs, and his status for this week's game is unclear.

As a closing note, don't forget that the basketball team hosts Eastern Kentucky tonight at 8 p.m. CT in Auburn Arena. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

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

Wednesday, November 16th, 2016
Danjel Purifoy had a very personal purpose in Auburn's 83-65 win over Georgia State in Auburn Arena on Monday night.

The Auburn forward only saw three minutes of action in the first half, but went on a strong surge down the stretch to finish with 19 points in the game. Purifoy said he won the game for teammate LaRon Smith, who began his career with the Panthers.

"I told him we were going to come out and get this win for him," Purifoy stated. "In the second half, that's what I came out with. That was on my mind the whole time, just playing for LaRon."

In his limited action in the first half, Purifoy only scored two points. The second half, however, was a different story. He and Jared Harper each scored 19 points to lead Auburn. Ten Tigers registered points.

This victory gives Auburn its first 2-0 start since the 2011-12 campaign.

Purifoy assured that Smith was every bit as happy with the outcome as expected.

"You couldn't get him to stop smiling, and that's something good to see because we got that win for him. He really wanted this win," Purifoy said.

The Tigers used elaborate 3-point shots to win their season opener against North Florida. This time around, they used old-fashioned balanced offense to beat the Panthers.

Auburn sank seven 3-pointers and went inside for five slam dunks.

"Even though we play fast, we're a fairly complex system," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "I've thrown a ton at this team really, really early. I thought we had great effort and energy."

Horace Spencer countered with 12 points, while Mustapha Heron scored 10 and had a team-high eight rebounds. Anfernee McLemore and T.J. Dunans had five rebounds apiece. Four other Tigers each had four rebounds. Smith had two points, a rebound and three blocks.

Auburn started off sluggishly, until a trey by Bryce Brown put the Tigers on top 18-15 at the 11:13 mark of the first half. Despite Auburn's balanced scoring approach - nine Tigers scored in the first 16 minutes - Georgia State refused to lie down.

The Tigers held a slim 35-30 advantage at halftime. But they took command in the second half because, according to Harper, the team "just locked in defensively. Maybe in the first half, we had a lot of turnovers that led to easy baskets. In the half-court, our defense was good. But we controlled our turnovers more, and we made it easier for us to be able to defend."

Auburn increased its lead to 47-37 with 14:29 to go in the second half. While they came alive, the Panthers were plauged by foul trouble.

It was certainly a tighter contest than the opener against North Florida, during which Auburn led by 30 after 25 minutes of play while nailing 13 treys. The Tigers didn't depend so heavily on 3-pointers in this one, but pulled away from the Panthers in the second half.

Auburn returns to action tomorrow night at 8 p.m. CT when they host Eastern Kentucky in Auburn Arena. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.

On a personal note, correct me if I'm wrong, but I honestly don't remember Auburn facing off against EKU in any sport in its history before.

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

Tuesday, November 15th, 2016
Add two more players to the mounting list of injuries Auburn is facing this week.

Gus Malzahn announced today that running back Stanton Truitt injured his ankle this past weekend against Georgia and will be held out of this Saturday's game against Alabama A&M. Malzahn also noted that H-back Chandler Cox hurt his leg in the loss to the Bulldogs, and will also be held out of action this weekend.

Truitt, who started the season at wide receiver before moving to running back, has 31 carries for 187 yards and two touchdowns to his name. Both of his TDs - which were first scores of Truitt's Auburn career - came in the Tigers' walloping of Arkansas last month. In the receiving department, he's caught six passes for 96 yards and a score.

Cox, Auburn's primary H-back, has recorded six carries for 12 yards, as well as four receptions for 41 yards.

Now, on to quarterback Sean White's status. While he's clearly still struggling with an injured throwing shoulder, Malzahn said coaches aren't ready to count him out this week against Alabama A&M.

White, who went just 6-of-20 for 27 yards with an interception returned for a touchdown in a 13-7 loss to Georgia, re-injured his throwing shoulder against the Bulldogs.

"We'll see day to day, week to week, not ready to make a call one way or the other," Malzahn said today. "We'll play him when he's healthy."

Unsurprisingly, Malzahn has been bombarded with questions on the way he has handled White's injury and whether he was sharply watching the situation against UGA last week. He responded that he had a conversation with White at halftime last week, but the issue of the shoulder injury worsening never came up. The coach added that he didn't notice much of a difference in White's performance, citing numerous dropped passes by receivers in the second half as evidence.

However, on Sunday night, White himself admitted that he re-injured his throwing shoulder and, consequently, his throws were affected.

"I would have liked to have known if he was worse," Malzahn stated. "It would have been good to go, but like I said I think he said it the other night: we're moving forward, he'll communicate better. He's a tough guy and he's trying to win a game. It's a one-score game and you felt like he could do it or he would have said something."

If White is unable to play on Saturday, Malzahn has yet to decide whether Jeremy Johnson or John Franklin III will start in his place. Franklin III had been listed as White's primary backup.

One last note: Yes, I know that the basketball team beat Georgia State last night, but as I write this, it's a late hour, so I'll write about that game tomorrow.

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

Monday, November 14th, 2016

After spending the season with possibly the best package of running backs in the SEC, Auburn is now nearly void at that position.

With the injuries in that spot piling up, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee told reporters yesterday that the coaching staff is considering moving senior defensive back Rudy Ford to running back, where he started his college career to begin with.

Kamryn Pettway, the league's leading rusher, missed the then-No.9 Tigers' stunning 13-7 upset loss to Georgia last Saturday. Lashlee wasn't exactly optimistic about Pettway's chances of returning against Alabama A&M this week.

"He hasn't been ruled out," Lashlee stated. "We will have to see how he goes day-to-day. He's making good strides. I really don't know. Is it probably more likely that he is out? Yeah, but it's also not ruled out."

Kerryon Johnson, the season's original starter, got most of the carries in Pettway's absence, although he's still nursing an ankle injury he sustained in early October. Reserves Stanton Truitt and Chandler Cox also suffered injuries against UGA.

As of now, true freshman Kam Martin, a former Baylor Bear, stands as the Tigers' only fully healthy running back. He's registered 144 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown this season.

Therefore, it's easy to see why the coaches are leaning toward inserting Ford, a former 4-star running back who switched positions during fall camp of his freshman campaign.

Only time will tell if that possibility becomes a reality.

In other news...

- News leaked out today that the Iron Bowl against arch-rival Alabama has been set for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on CBS. The game will be played on Nov. 26 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

The top-ranked Tide (10-0, 7-0 SEC0) clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game after its blowout of Mississippi State and Auburn's loss to Georgia last week.

Alabama has won six of the last eight meetings, including the last two. The Tide leads the series 44-35-1.

Auburn (7-3, 5-2 SEC) hasn't won in Tuscaloosa since 2010, when they rallied from a 24-0 deficit behind quarterback Cam Newton to capture a stunning 28-27 victory.

On the Tigers' last trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2014, they held a 33-21 third-quarter lead only to lose 55-44. It was the highest combined scoring game in Iron Bowl history, beating the previous record from 1969. Auburn won that one, 49-26.

- Be sure to tune in at 8 p.m. CT tonight when the men's basketball team hosts Georgia State. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

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

Sunday, November 13th, 2016

Was Auburn looking ahead? Did holding Kamryn Pettway out due to injury prove too big a difference? Did the ultra-noisy Sanford Stadium crowd get to the Tigers? Was it simply one of those nights?

Whatever the reasons for Auburn's 13-7 upset loss to Georgia, there are a few things we know for sure. The Tigers' six-game winning streak was snapped. They have now lost nine of the last 11 matches in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. They still haven't won in Athens since 2005.

Most significantly, however, Auburn's dreams of an SEC West title and a berth in the College Football Playoff have vanished. Simply putt, it was a crippling blow to a season that seemed destined to reach monumental status.

Then again, perhaps it was fitting on a day when four other Top 10 teams fell.

Difficult though it may be, I'll try my best to break down what cost us a victory last night.

Offense: In the first period, the Tigers acted as though they meant business, eating up more than six minutes on the clock in a 15-play, 80-yard drive, culminating in a 3-yard touchdown run by Kerryon Johnson. It was Auburn's most time-consuming drive of the season. At that point, the Tigers had 90 total yards on two drives. From then on, however, the offense turned from effective to atrocious. Auburn had 10 more possessions for the rest of the game, but could only generate a miserable 74 yards (including just 32 in the entire second half, and no first downs) and only crossed the 50-yard line once. Seven of those series ended in punts, including five straight three-and-outs.  When this one was in the books, the Tigers had only accumulated 164 yards - the second-worst offensive performance by a Malzahn-coached offense. That figure is only surpassed by a 140-yard output in the 2011 Iron Bowl.

Individually, Kerryon Johnson did well with the touches he had, but Kamryn Pettway can still be considered the catalyst for the Tiger offense. At quarterback, it was clear to me that Sean White wasn't fully healthy. He's still nursing his throwing shoulder injury. That greatly harmed his accuracy in this one. He was 6-of-20 for 27 yards with an interception. The INT was critical, as it was returned by Georgia's Maurice Smith for a 34-yard TD to even the score at 7-all in the third quarter. Take away that play, and it's a 7-6 victory for the Tigers. With Sean as unhealthy as he is, why not insert someone else for a while, like John Franklin III?

Defense: The unit did have trouble slowing down Georgia running back Sony Michel at times, and it also gave up a couple of long bombs by QB Jacob Eason. Still, an overall admirable effort from Kevin Steele's bunch, especially considering that they were on the field for 39:09 in total, including nearly 23 minutes in the second half. They only gave up 343 total yards to the Bulldogs, and only allowed them to score two field goals. This marked the seventh time this season that Auburn held an opponent to fewer than 350 offensive yards, and the eighth time it gave up fewer than 20 points. Too bad the offense wasn't nearly as productive.

Special teams: An up-and-down performance here. Daniel Carlson did well on kickoffs, and Kevin Philllips had eight punts, averaging 44.1 yards per kick, and pinned four of them inside the 20. However, the return game was ineffective, Carlson never got to try a field goal, and the Tigers also committed interference on a punt return.

Overall: The defense was solid, but the offense was horrible. What really doomed us in my eyes was the poor play calling on offense. All Auburn can do now is learn from it, and move on to next wee's home match with FCS foe Alabama A&M.

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

Saturday, November 12th, 2016

Generally speaking, the more 3-pointers a basketball team makes, the better their chances of winning.

That philosophy certainly paid big dividends for Auburn last night. The Tigers sank 10 treys in the first half and never looked back as they defeated North Florida 83-66 in the season opener for both squads in Auburn Arena.

By the final buzzer, Auburn had scored 13 threes. A mixture of veterans and newcomers contributed. Bryce Brown, TJ Lang, Danjel Purifoy and Mustapha Heron combined for 12 of them.

Brown led the Tigers with 19 points. Four Tigers scored in double digits.

Head coach Bruce Pearl aptly summed it up, saying, "We can make shots. We really can. We can put four guys out there who can really shoot it. That's fun."

In particular, Pearl commended Purifoy's performance, saying that with him on the court, "we were plus-26. We scored better with him out there."

Indeed. Purifoy finished the game with 14 points. Meanwhile, Harper and Jared Heron scored 10 apiece.

Pearl also applauded his defense, which was especially dominant over the first 25 minutes as Auburn built a 30-point advantage.

"I thought our defense in the first half was tremendous," he said. "In the second half, we didn't play as well defensively, and I was disappointed with our rebounding, but to hold a team that averages 84 to 66 is good. To turn them over 28 times, that's pretty good."

However, one area in which Auburn needs improvement is rebounding. The Ospreys led in that department, 42-36. "We're going to have to do some soul searching," Pearl emphasized.

Despite that, Auburn arched up 32 3-point tries. North Florida nailed six of its 20 trey attempts.

The Ospreys tried to fight back and make the game tight, but their efforts were of no use.

Brown set the tone early, hitting two 3s to open the contest. From there, the shots just kept on coming.

"I thought Bryce played well. I thought he responded really well to the start. Defensively, he was really good," Pearl stated.

Brown and Lang canned three treys in the first half. Purifoy and Heron each had two 3s in the opening minutes as well. The 10 3-pointers in the first half were the third most in any half in Auburn history.

The Tigers sent a statement to the crowd early, ringing three treys in the first 3 1/2 minutes.

They pulled away from a 19-19 deadlock to take a 49-30 lead at intermission. By that point, Brown had 11 points to his name, while Purifoy and Heron each had 10.

Auburn returns to action on Monday night when they host Georgia State at 8 p.m. CT in Auburn Arena. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

For now, however, let's turn our attention to the 120th chapter in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry: Auburn vs. Georgia. The Tigers are looking to break a two-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, as well as pick up their first win in Athens since a thrilling 31-30 upset win in 2005.

That victory was made possible by one of the wildest single plays in Auburn football history. On fourth-and-10 from Auburn's 35 with just over a minute left, the Tigers trailed 30-28. Quarterback Brandon Cox fired a pass to Devin Aromashodu, who caught it inside Georgia's 40-yard line, and dashed toward the end zone. It looked like a sure six, but one defender was in Aromashodu's path: Georgia safety Paul Oliver. Just before Aromashodu reached the house, Oliver reached out and punched the ball loose. It skidded toward the back of the end zone. Ecstasy had turned to horror for the Auburn faithful. Fear not. Receiver Courtney Taylor, who was just a few yards behind Aromashodu and Oliver, swiftly raced to the ball and made a heads-up recovery just before it went out of the end zone. Since the ball was fumbled forward on fourth down, it was moved back to the spot where the fumble occurred - the 3-yard line. It all worked out well in the end, setting up John Vaughn's 20-yard field goal with six seconds remaining to lift Auburn to the victory.

As for today, both teams are clearly equally desperate for this one. Let's all hope that the Tigers can come out on top. We're in for a dandy, folks.

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

Thursday, November 10th, 2016

Like father, like son.

The Auburn baseball team added a noteworthy prospect to its 2017 class yesterday. Peyton Glavine, the son of MLB legend Tom Glavine, signed with the Tigers.

Peyton Glavine, who pledged to Auburn in August, is both a left-handed pitcher and outfielder. PerfectGame.com lists him at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, and clocks his fastball at 87 mph.

Tom Glavine enjoyed a 22-year career in the MLB, racking up 305 victories and two Cy Young awards. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

Let's all hope that Peyton will be able to duplicate his father's success.

Allow me to insert a little personal insight into this post. In regards to Kamryn Pettway, he's mostly still considered day-to-day according to the coaching staff. While it doesn't seem likely that he'll play against Georgia on Saturday, I still see no reason to panic, because we have other running backs, such as Kerryon Johnson and Kam Martin.

Speaking of running backs, Georgia's tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel make the Bulldogs offense go. Something tells me we've got quite a showdown in store between these two squads. The Tigers are vying for a potential Western Division title, while Georgia is desperately seeking bowl eligibility. Overall, I'm inclined to believe that this will come down to the age-old question, "Who wants it the worst?"

I, and all Auburn fans, hope that the Tigers can provide the right answer.

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

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn provided a largely encouraging update regarding injured players today.

Quarterback Sean White will start at Georgia on Saturday, and SEC-leading rusher Kamryn Pettway may also be cleared to play.

Malzahn also confirmed that leading receiver Tony Stevens and linebacker Tre' Williams, both of whom missed last Saturday's game, would also return to action.

White didn't start against Vanderbilt last week, but returned to lead the Tigers to a come-from-behind victory. Pettway suffered a leg injury late in the match, and his status for Georgia is less certain.

White, the conference leader in passing efficiency, is "not 100 percent," Malzahn said, but healthy enough to play.

"...He'll be better this week than he was last week. We'll see how it goes in practice. Last week, he didn't take any practice reps. He did warm up on Thursday just to see what he could do, but he didn't take any practice reps. He'll practice this week."

As for Pettway, Malzahn said, "We're hoping to get him on the practice field today or tomorrow. He's done well so far. He's kind of a quick healer. I'll know more later in the week, but he's planning on practicing."

Kerryon Johnson has battled an ankle injury since last week, and was described by Malzahn as "80 percent" healthy last week, but is closer to being fully recovered. Both Johnson and Pettway missed a game with an injury this season.

"We didn't have Pettway one game, and K.J.'s done a super job," Malzahn stated. "Stanton Truitt has done a very good job running between the tackles when we've asked him to. We feel good about what we have. We're not ruling out Pettway yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays, but at the same time we've got other guys that will be ready to go. We've got a lot of confidence in those guys."

The Tigers were shorthanded at linebacker last week, as Williams was out with an injury and Deshaun Davis was ejected in the first quarter for a questionable targeting penalty.

"Those guys are kind of our quarterbacks on defense," Malzahn explained. "Hats off to the linebackers that took their place the other day. That was really impressive what they did. Quarterbacking, the whole deal. We should have everybody back and ready to go defensively."

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

Monday, November 7th, 2016

Yes, Auburn's trip to Athens for its annual showdown against rival Georgia this week comes first.

However, a kickoff time for its following contest against non-conference foe Alabama A&M has already been set. And chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised by it.

An announcement was made today that Auburn's tilt with the aforementioned FCS opponent is slated for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Nov. 19 and will be televised on the SEC Network Alternate channel. It will mark the final home game of the season at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn will honor its seniors with senior night festivities in a pre-game ceremony.

The 9th-ranked Tigers (7-2, 5-1 SEC) square off against Georgia (5-4, 3-4) this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

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

Sunday, November 6th, 2016

The first Saturday of November 2016 provided us with a plethora of thrills, shocks and surprises in college football. Mississippi State shocked Texas A&M. Arkansas chomped Florida. Georgia edged past Kentucky in Lexington with a field goal as time expired. The list goes on and on. Man, it was a crazy day!

And then, there was Auburn's face-off with Vanderbilt at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

In the first half, the Tigers were as flat as could be, sputtering in every facet of the game. John Franklin III started at quarterback, but had little success in guiding his troops down the field. The Commodores, meanwhile, outplayed their opponents all across the board. At intermission, Auburn found itself down, 13-10. The turnaround in their season appeared to be coming to an abrupt halt. It looked as if Vandy was well on its way to an upset of gigantic proportions.

Until the second half got underway, that is. Head coach Gus Malzahn inserted Sean White, who reportedly didn't take a single snap in practice this past week due to an injury to his throwing shoulder, to revive a listless Auburn offense.

The move paid dividends. In the first 4:15 of the third period, Auburn took the lead to stay when White hooked up with Darius Slayton on a 21-yard touchdown strike. It was Slayton's first career TD reception. The score gave the Tigers a 17-13 advantage.

The remainder of the scoring in this one would come courtesy of the kickers. Auburn's Daniel Carlson connected on two field goals in the final 30 minutes, while Vandy's Tommy Openshaw hit one. Carlson's 33-yarder with 11:01 remaining in the game put the Tigers up, 23-16.

With just 1:41 to go, Carlson had a shot to put the icing on the cake with another field goal attempt, this time from 35 yards out. But Vandy linebacker Zach Cunningham - the SEC's leading tackler and an Alabama native - wouldn't allow it, making an amazing leap over the center to block the try.

The pesky Commodores had one more chance to tie or win. It appeared that it would not last long, as the Tigers forced them into a fourth-and-18 at their own 20. But quarterback Kyle Shurmur, who would finish the day 24-of-36 for 221 yards with a TD, kept his squad alive by connecting with tight end Caleb Scott on a 29-yard pass that was deflected by Auburn's Stephen Roberts and Javaris Davis.

No sweat. By the time Vandy reached Auburn's 30, Tiger cornerback Joshua Holsey saved the day for the second straight week. He cashed in on a miscommunication between Shurmur and his receiver, cradling in an interception at the Auburn 18 with 36 seconds left.

Only then could Auburn exhale a sigh of relief and savor their sixth straight victory.

Let's try to break down this shaky performance.

Offense: With John Franklin III leading the way in the first half, the Tigers were ineffective, only amassing 124 yards and 10 points in 9 minutes, 23 seconds of possession time. But once Sean White took over in the second half, things changed. By the end of the afternoon, Auburn had generated 359 total yards. That's efficient, although certainly not the figure you'd expect from a Gus Malzahn-led offense. Two second-half drives stalled in the red zone, and the Tigers had to settle for field goals when they could have mounted an even bigger lead.

Defense: For the second straight game, Kevin Steele's unit had a frustrating performance. Most of it resulted from being unable to stop Vandy QB Shurmur, who is one of the league's less successful passers. The Tigers made him look like a seasoned veteran. See above for his final stats. Auburn also gave up 120 yards rushing. The Commodores came into this game averaging 308 yards of offense. But they left The Plains with 341. Plenty of room for improvement here.

Special teams: Auburn tried to pull off a trick on a kickoff return, but that failed miserably, resulting in a fumble. Also, Daniel Carlson had only his second missed field goal of the season, although, in retrospect, it was really impossible to prevent. Despite that, he nailed three other field goals, and Kerryon Johnson had a good day in kick returns. In the punting department, Kevin Phillips fared well, averaging 46.5 yards on two kicks.

Overall: Auburn got another SEC win, but had to fight tooth and nail for it until the final gun. More often than not, the Tigers don't perform well in morning games such as this one. This is why I'm not fond of them one bit. With the Tigers now in control of their own destiny in the SEC West title race, they need to correct their stumbling blocks from this game and get ready for a pivotal road trip to Georgia next Saturday. Auburn hasn't won there in a decade. BTW, next week's game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT, and will be televised by CBS.

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

Friday, November 4th, 2016

With a home showdown with Vanderbilt looming on the horizon, five Auburn players are dealing with minor injuries. Gus Malzahn gave final updates on all of them last night on his radio show, "Tiger Talk."

The most notorious of these: receiver Tony Stevens (undisclosed), linebacker Tre' Williams (ankle), receiver Eli Stove (ankle) and cornerback Javaris Davis (undisclosed).

On the fortunate side, Malzahn pointed out that every player practiced this week.

"We're hoping we get everybody out there and ready to go," he said. "This time of year is always a challenge. You're going to be beat up to a certain point."

In Auburn's 40-29 triumph at Ole Miss last week, at least three Tigers were shaken up: Williams, Stove and Davis. Meanwhile, Stevens did not play as he nursed an injury suffered in a 56-3 shellacking of Arkansas on Oct. 22.

No matter what the circumstances, Malzahn adamantly maintained that the Tigers aren't taking Vandy lightly.

"We have a lot of respect for this team that is coming in," he insisted. "They're playing very good football. They had an off week. Any time you can have an off week this late in the season - when we went and had a knock-down, drag-out (game at Ole Miss), that definitely concerns you. We've tried to be smart with our guys this week. We tried to take it off of them a little bit this week and get them into the game flying around, being 100 percent."

In other news...

- An Auburn football signee has received a tremendous blessing. Brodarious Hamm wrote in a Facebook post yesterday that eight months after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, he has beaten the disease.

"Man I'm cancer free," Hamm posted. "All praise be to God."

A month after signing with the Tigers on National Signing Day, Hamm learned he had cancer. Gus Malzahn ensured that the football program would support Hamm to the fullest.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," Malzahn said in March. "He's a fine young man with a fine family. He's got a great attitude. Very unfortunate. ..."We're going to be there for him. He's going to get through this. We expect him to be with us after a short period of time after he gets healthy."

Shortly after his diagnosis, Hamm admitted to AuburnUndercover that he was "scared" when he received the news. However, he swiftly changed his focus to conquering the hardship in front of him.

"I talked to the doctor and he said I'd be all right," Hamm said. "He was just like, 'This is nothing to worry about. Believe in the treatment and believe in God and everything will be all right.'"

According to the 247Sports Composite, Hamm, a three-star signee, was ranked as the nation's No. 32 offensive tackle in the 2016 class. He enrolled in classes at Auburn this summer.

Unsurprisingly, Malzahn is eager for Hamm to take the field.

"He has the ability to play inside or at tackle," Malzahn stated on National Signing Day. "He's a big athletic guy, a very smart guy and we're excited about coaching big Brodarious."

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

Thursday, November 3rd, 2016

Auburn has another trip to Atlanta on the cards.

News leaked out this morning that the Tigers will open the 2018 campaign against Washington in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. The game fills the void for a Power 5 foe on Auburn's schedule for that season.

The contest will mark the third trip in seven years for the Tigers to the Kickoff Classic, and its first inside the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will replace the Georgia Dome in 2017. Auburn and Washington have never squared off on the football field. Currently, the Tigers are ranked No. 9, while the Huskies are No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The game is slated for Sept. 1, 2018 and will be televised by ESPN. However, a kickoff time has not been set.

"Since our goal every year is to get to Atlanta and compete for a championship, I also like the opportunity for our team to play there early in the season," Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said in a statement. "That's an advantage for us. Atlanta is a great city, and the Auburn Family has a huge presence there. So it's a great game, venue and location for our student-athletes and our fans."

In its previous two trips to the Kickoff Classic, the Tigers lost to Clemson in 2012 (26-19) and defeated Louisville in 2015 (31-24), respectively.

Auburn will be paid $4.2 million for participating in the match, which is the most it has ever received for a neutral-site game. The university was paid $3.2 million for taking part in last season's Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

A list of the Tigers' non-conference opponents through 2024 follows.

2017

Sept. 2- Georgia Southern

Sept. 9- at Clemson

Sept. 16- Mercer

Nov. 18- Louisiana-Monroe

2018

Sept. 1- Washington (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta)

Sept. 29- Southern Miss

Nov. 17- Alabama State

2019

Aug. 31- Oregon (AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas)

2020

Sept. 26- Southern Miss

Nov. 21- Alabama A&M

2021

Sept. 18- at Penn State

Sept. 25- Georgia State

Nov. 20- Alabama State

2022

Sept. 17- Penn State

2023

Sept. 9- at California

2024

Sept. 7- California

It should be mighty intriguing to see how all of these matches pan out.

In closing, I'd like to dedicate this post to my grandmother, whom my family and I affectionately called "Memie." Today would have been her 87th birthday. She passed away in June of last year, but I know that she's having a wonderful celebration in Heaven. God rest her soul. We all love and miss you dearly, Memie!

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

Tuesday, November 1st, 2016

A four-star linebacker has pledged to the Tigers.

Kenney Britt, who has been highly coveted by Auburn and hails from Oxford (Ala.), committed to Auburn yesterday afternoon. He picked the Tigers over programs such as Georgia, Ole Miss and Stanford.

Britt will be an early enrollee.

He began visiting Auburn as a prospect last year. The Tigers offered Britt in February as he was making an unofficial visit to the campus.

Throughout the 2016 calendar year, Britt has visited the school at least eight times, including multiple games, and is expected to return this weekend.

Previously, he had hoped to commit to Auburn in August. However, he wasn't ready to decide and his plans changed. Intel suggests that Georgia became the favorite during the summer, but two consecutive weekend visits to the Plains in July helped Britt lean toward the Tigers.

"It had a big impact," Britt said recently.

In particular, Britt's strong bond with Auburn linebackers coach Travis Williams played a big factor in the commitment. Additionally, Britt has family in the Auburn area. He has always felt at home there. The same holds true for his parents and younger brother.

As a player, Britt is projected as an inside linebacker. He has been described as a "downhill-thumper type" by one source.

The 6-feet, 232-pound Britt is ranked as the No. 15 inside backer and No. 325 overall recruit in the 247Sports Composite. He has an 89.11 rating.

With his pledge, Auburn has climbed two spots to No. 12 in the 247Sports recruiting team rankings.

Britt is Auburn's 15th commitment, but one pledge (long snapper Bill Taylor) will blue shirt and not count against the 2017 numbers. The Tigers are expected to sign a full class, meaning they have about 11 spots left.

Auburn now has three linebackers committed. Britt joins four-star Tadarian Moultry and three-star Chandler Wooten. The Tigers hope to add at least one or possibly two more backers to the class, with Monty Rice of Alabama, Nate McBride and Tyler Taylor of Georgia, and De'Andre Wilder of Florida being the most noteworthy targets.

Considering the way Auburn has turned its season around, I wouldn't be surprised to see our recruiting pick up even more as time goes on.

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