​​Lyle's Corner

September 2019

Sunday, September 29th, 2019

In a nutshell, Auburn came out roaring against Mississippi State in Jordan-Hare Stadium last night and never eased up, scoring six touchdowns in their seven first-half possessions. Three of those TDs came in the Tigers' first eight plays from scrimmage. At intermission, the Tigers had a commanding 42-9 lead. (The 42 points were the most Auburn had scored in the first half against an SEC team since posting the same mark against Vanderbilt in 1990.) Auburn went on to win 56-23, improving to 5-0 overall, 2-0 in conference play. 

Offensively, you can't complain when your team rolls up 578 total yards (361 passing, 217 rushing). On an individual note, Bo Nix had his best game as a college player, going 16-of-21 for 335 yards and three total TDs (two passing, one rushing). Plus, Seth Williams had a career night, catching 8 balls for 161 yards and two scores. One glaring issue , though, regards ball protection. Auburn committed four fumbles, losing three (one of which was controversial). That needs to be corrected quickly. 

As for the defense, the Tigers bent at times, but certainly didn't break. It kept constant pressure on MSU quarterbacks Garrett Shrader and Tommy Stevens. On top of that, Auburn limited Kylin Hill, the SEC's leading rusher, to 45 yards on 17 carries. All told, the Tigers held the Bulldogs to 334 total yards on the night (216 passing, 118 rushing) and forced two turnovers as well. That aforementioned figure in yards allowed isn't exactly paltry, but Auburn certainly prevented State from getting back into the thick of this one. 

The Tigers' special teams unit was equally effective, giving up only 16 return yards to MSU. Anders Carlson was superb on all of his kickoffs, and hit all eight PATs. In the punting game, Arryn Siposs's lone boot of the night was a 43-yarder. Two more noteworthy moments were a turnover that was forced and a big return by Christian Tutt to set up a Tiger score. It was virtually impossible to find flaws in this area this time around. 

Overall, there's no other way of saying it. Auburn came out of the gate and absolutely dismantled State in every facet of the contest from start to finish. Now, the Tigers must turn their attention to a big trip to The Swamp to face Florida in a Top-10 showdown next Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by CBS. This is the Tigers' first trip to Florida Field since 2007, and its first meeting with the Gators anywhere since 2011. It certainly seems more than likely that this one will be a real nail-biter. Fasten your seat belts, folks! We could be in for a WILD ride! 

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

Saturday, September 28th, 2019

Yes, Auburn football's tangle with Mississippi State is first and foremost on our minds today. But Bruce Pearl's men's basketball squad got a commitment last night. 

Sharife Cooper, a five-star point guard from McEachern High in Marietta, Ga., pledged to Auburn during his official visit to the campus. He later confirmed his commitment via his Instagram account last night. Cooper is Auburn's second commitment to the Class of 2020, joining three-star shooting guard Justin Powell, who pledged to the Tigers in June. 

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the 6-feet, 160-pound Cooper stands as the No. 2 point guard in the class and the No. 18 overall prospect in the country. His pledge places the Tigers at No. 19 in the 2020 class rankings for the time being. Cooper holds the distinction of being the highest-rated prospect to commit to Auburn, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, which date back to 1999. He's also the second five-star prospect to pledge to the Tigers, joining former shooting guard Mustapha Heron, who signed with Auburn under Pearl in 2016 before transferring to St. John's following his sophomore season in 2017-18. 

Back to the aforementioned football game against Mississippi State for a moment. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN, with Sean McDonough providing the play-by-play, Todd Blackledge giving the color commentary, and Holly Rowe serving as the sideline reporter. 

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

Monday, September 23rd, 2019

The seventh-ranked Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) already have one SEC road game under their belts. It came last Saturday against Texas A&M. If you'll recall, that game was played at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. 

Well, word came out today that the same time and network will hold true when Auburn travels to Florida on Oct. 5th. It will be the 84th all-time meeting between the Tigers and Gators, with Auburn holding a 43-38-2 edge. Auburn has won the last three straight, with the last coming in 2011, a 17-6 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Its last trip to Florida Field was in 2007 when the Tigers upset the 4th-ranked Gators 20-17 on a 43-yard Wes Byrum field goal at the buzzer (He actually kicked it twice, but the first kick was nullified because then-Florida head coach Urban Meyer had called timeout prior to the snap). 

The Tigers have won four of the last five in the series, but prior to that Florida had won seven straight, with the last coming in the 2000 SEC Championship Game by a 28-6 count. On a personal level, this game will be the sixth meeting between Gus Malzahn and Dan Mullen as head coaches, with the previous five coming when Mullen was at Mississippi State. Malzahn leads the series 3-2 over Mullen, including a 38-14 win in 2016 and a 49-10 rout in 2017. 

But as the saying goes, first thing's first. This Saturday, the Tigers face Mississippi State in their home SEC opener in Jordan-Hare Stadium at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. Meanwhile, Florida will host Towson in a non-conference tilt. One last note about the aforementioned 2007 match between Auburn and UF: I can still hear the now-retired Mike Patrick's call on ESPN of Wes Byrum's game-winning kick. "How cool is Wes Byrum? He made the winning field goal twice!" 

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

Sunday, September 22nd, 2019

Don't you just love being the underdog? I sure do! That's what motivates you to get the job done. Nobody gave Auburn a prayer against Texas A&M all week long. But those scrappy Tigers marched into College Station and proved them all wrong, notching a thrilling 28-20 upset of the Aggies to go to 4-0 on the season and start conference action on a high note. It was Auburn's third straight victory over Texas A&M. The Tigers had not won on the road against a top-25 team since 2015...and that came against the very same Aggies at the very same location, a 26-10 decision. 

Save for a third-quarter lull, the offense clicked effectively during the contest. The running game was especially impressive, rolling up 193 yards against the Aggies' usually stubborn run defense. A&M only allowed the Tigers 19 yards on the ground in last year's meeting (which the Tigers won 28-24 after trailing by 10 in the final quarter). Bo Nix went 12-of-20 for 100 yards with a TD, although he is still apt to overthrow receivers on deep balls. Joey Gatewood's only throw of the afternoon was a six-yard scoring toss to John Samuel Shenker to give Auburn a 14-0 first-quarter cushion. The play of the day, of course, came courtesy of Anthony Schwartz on a 57-yard reverse scamper for the Tigers' first score of the day. But the key stat was no turnovers. That's always crucial on the road. 

Defensively, Auburn was ferocious for three and a half quarters, halting Aggie drives at every opportunity. The biggest play came in the third quarter on Daniel Thomas' fumble recovery. While the Tigers did give up 391 yards on the day (335 passing, 56 rushing), with most of it coming down the stretch thanks to a valiant A&M rally, Kevin Steele's troops still made life bleak for Jimbo Fisher, Kellen Mond, and company. 

The special teams unit certainly seems to be on the upswing now. Christian Tutt had a couple of big punt returns, and the coverage units have improved as well. Anders Carlson was impressive on kickoffs and nailed on four PATs on the afternoon. Plus, Arryn Siposs punted eight times with a solid 43.75-yard average. While on the topic of this unit, two missed field goals hurt the Aggies dearly, in my mind. 

Overall, the final score may not reflect it, but Auburn manhandled the Aggies in every facet of the game save for the final 15 minutes, although it was mostly already decided at that point. A road win in the SEC is always encouraging. That said, there is still plenty of work to do. The Tigers must not get cocky and focus on the agenda's next opponent, Mississippi State. The Tigers will host the Bulldogs in Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. News broke this morning that said network will have its College Gameday crew there then. Won't that make for interesting entertainment...especially with Lee Corso on board? 

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



Friday, September 20th, 2019

Auburn has almost completed its non-conference football schedules through 2023. On Wednesday, UMass confirmed via a press release that the Tigers have added UMass to its 2023 slate. The two schools will also meet in 2020. Auburn is set to host UMass at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 2nd, 2023.

The Tigers also recently added New Mexico State to their 2023 schedule and San Jose State to their 2022 agenda. According to FBSSchedules.com, the Aggies and Spartans will be paid $1.85 million apiece to face Auburn in Jordan-Hare. An Auburn spokesperson confirmed that the Tigers will host San Jose State on Sept. 10th, 2022, and NMSU on Nov. 18th, 2023. 

In addition, Auburn shuffled the non-conference schedule for 2022. The Tigers moved their match with Mercer from Nov. 19th to the season opener on Sept. 3rd of that year. This is significant because it will mark the second time in three seasons the Tigers have opened the season against an FCS squad, something the team has not done this century. Auburn also moved its previously-scheduled contest with Western Kentucky from Sept. 24th to Nov. 19th that season. 

Auburn has scheduled at least one Power 5 non-conference opponent every season through 2028: North Carolina, Penn State, Cal, Baylor and UCLA. Every Power 5 match is a home-and-home series except for the Week 2 game against North Carolina in 2020, when the two teams will meet in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

The Tigers have yet to complete their non-conference slates for 2023 and beyond. Auburn has scheduled three of its four non-conference opponents for 2022 (Mercer, Penn State, Western Kentucky) and 2023 (UMass, Cal, New Mexico State). The 2023 through 2028 campaigns already include home-and-home series with Cal, Baylor and UCLA. 

Confused yet? We'll get all of this straight when those schedules come around. 

In other news....

- Last night, Gus Malzahn shared news that Auburn fans have longed to hear for a while. Receiver Anthony Schwartz will no longer need to wear a big cast on his broken hand, and will be "ready to go", according to Malzahn, when the Tigers face Texas A&M in College Station tomorrow. 

Unsurprisingly, Schwartz's broken hand has hindered his production during the first three weeks of this season. He's only caught one pass for 13 yards. Plus, he didn't touch the ball at all during the first two games of the season. Yes, the Tigers have fared well without him getting off to a 3-0 start, but his presence will certainly aid the passing game and young QB Bo Nix (who, in my mind, has made considerable improvement in his decision-making, not to mention elusiveness under pressure). 

My instincts tell me that the Aggies will force us to try to win through the air, given their great run defense thus far this year. But I also think we're going to strive to keep them honest. Something also tells me that we have a wild shootout in store...as was the case last night in Tulane's thrilling last-second 38-31 upset of Houston. Man, that was a heart-pounder! 

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



Tuesday, September 17th, 2019

A defensive lineman is moving on from Auburn's football program. News broke today that freshman Charles Moore has left the team. 

Moore is leaving to enroll at Jones County Junior College in his home state of Mississippi. He was a four-star recruit who signed with Auburn's 2019 class. According to the 247Sports Composite, Moore was rated as the No. 69 player in the country, as well as the No. 6 strongside defensive end and the No. 4 player in Mississippi.

During National Signing Day in February, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn described Moore as a "priority" player for the Tigers' coaching staff. Moore had previously pledged to Mississippi State before decommitting in January and joining Auburn on National Signing Day. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Moore also signed with Jones County Junior College on National Signing Day, with the program announcing him as the final member of its 2019 class. 

"Charles is currently pending a grade he needs to make in one course, that he's currently enrolled in right now, from being a full qualifier," said Louisville (Miss.) High wide receivers coach Charles Westerfield to AL.com in February. "You know, I think the Jones Junior College thing was just a backup plan, just in case." 

At Auburn, Moore was the Tigers' third-highest rated signee in the 2019 class, behind five-star linebacker Owen Pappoe and five-star quarterback Bo Nix, both of whom earned starting spots at their respective positions prior to the season opener against Oregon. Moore, on the contrary, did not appear in any of Auburn's first three games against Oregon, Tulane and Kent State. 

"Charles Moore, he's a fighter," defensive lineman Nick Coe said during fall camp. "We just need to help him a little more so he can get used to play at the college level. It's a whole different level, from high school to college. We just try to help him develop like we developed. My freshman year, I was trying my best to develop, and I developed a lot and everything. I'm going to try to help him do the same or even better." 

I hope he gets a chance to meet that standard at Jones County Junior College. Best wishes, Charles. 

In other news...

- Auburn and Mississippi State will face off under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 28th. Yesterday, the game was set for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN. It will mark the Tigers' fourth night game of the season. 

Auburn is 63-27-2 all time against the Bulldogs. The Tigers hold a slim 5-4 advantage in the 2010s. It's the most competitive decade between the squads since they split five victories apiece in the 1990s, making the two decades undoubtedly the most competitive in the series. 

The Tigers have won two of the last three meetings, but lost to Mississippi State 23-9 in Starkville last season in Joe Moorhead's first season in charge of the Bulldogs. 

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



Monday, September 16th, 2019

One of Auburn's reserve offensive linemen will be sidelined for a while thanks to an unexpected turn of events. 

Bailey Sharp's first start as a Tiger was auspicious, but he woke up Sunday morning feeling pain. Sharp injured his knee and noticed swelling yesterday. The backup left tackle's injury will require a procedure, head coach Gus Malzahn reported at his press conference last night. Sharp will miss the next six weeks of the season. 

"That's really tough news and hate that for him, especially with the way he played," Malzahn stated. A source told Auburn Undercover that Sharp tore a meniscus in one of his knees. He was rewarded with the program's helmet sticker for his performance in Auburn's 55-16 rout of Kent State. He graded out at 86 percent and had 12 knockdown blocks. "He said he felt it but his adrenaline was going," Malzahn said. "Just hate it for him." 

Backup center Nick Brahms might step in as a backup tackle, and the same holds true for Brodarious Hamm. According to Malzahn, if Hamm is required to play, starting right tackle Jack Driscoll would move to left tackle. "We've got some veteran guys that we feel good about," he noted. "Nick Brahms is a guy that's obviously started in league play before and gives us some depth. We've got a lot of different options as far as depth moving forward goes." 

Sharp made his first start last Saturday in place of starter Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. against the Golden Flashes. He helped the Tigers carve out 467 yards rushing, the most Auburn had generated in a game since 2016. "Man, I just...dream come true," Sharp said after the game. "I remember when I was a little kid, going to an Auburn game, and I told myself that one day, I would play. It took a while. Five years later, but just to have that confidence between me and the coaches to finally go in there and play - dream come true. That's all I can say. That's a dream come true." 

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



Sunday, September 15th, 2019

I'm going to be as short and sweet as possible on our 55-16 smothering of Kent State. The offense was on fire, racking up 633 total yards. The highlight, of course, was the running game. Auburn generated 467 yards in that department. For the first time since 1983, the Tigers had three 100-yard rushers in the same contest. JaTarvious Whitlow led the way with 17 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Backup QB Joey Gatewood gained 102 yards on 12 carries with two scores of his own. Kam Martin was close behind with 71 yards on seven touches, including a 35-yard TD jaunt. 

The passing game as solid as well, as Bo Nix went 12-of-16 for 161 yards and one touchdown. The score was a thing of beauty on a flea-flicker to Eli Stove. Nix also flourished in the ground attack, once again showing his elusiveness under pressure.  My only real complaint here came in a couple of dropped passes. 

The defense was a mixed bag. First, the positives. The Tigers got five sacks, and only allowed 92 yards rushing to Kent State. Also, they let Kent State convert only four of 14 third-down situations (after giving up four in a row to start the night). On the other hand, however, Auburn's pass defense was poor, giving up 229 yards through the air. The lowest moment came on a 53-yard TD pass by the Golden Flashes that came about due to blown coverage. By the end of the night, the Tigers had surrendered an atypical 321 yards. Clearly, Kevin Steele and his defensive assistants must figure out the problem before SEC play kicks off next week. 

Special teams had a good night. Anders Carlson nailed both of his field goal tries, from 45 and 37 yards, respectively, and all seven extra points. The punting unit wasn't too busy, as Arryn Siposs had only one boot on the night, a 41-yarder. Bo Nix also had a 31-yard pooch punt. As for our coverage unit, I'd have to say it got a bit better as well. 

In short, Auburn did what it wanted to do (particularly running the ball on offense), getting the blowout it wanted against an inferior opponent, and moving to 3-0 on the season in the process. The offense clicked well, while the defense sputtered early on, but improved considerably as the game wore on. Now the big question:  Will the Tigers be able to carry momentum from this win into the rest of the season? Let's hope so, because as every Auburn fan is well aware, the rest of the season will be far from a walk in the garden. The first real test takes place next week when the Tigers travel to College Station to face Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. Auburn has won the last two in a row over the Aggies. Can they make it a triple-decker? 

- In addition to celebrating a happy Homecoming, the Tigers also got a commitment to the football program for the Class of 2020 last night. Ladarius Tennison, a four-star athlete from Southwest Brevard County Florida (Rockledge), pledged to the Tigers. The 5-feet-9, 193-pound Tennison ranks as the No. 5 athlete in the country in this class and the No. 39 player from the state of Florida. He reportedly has 24 offers.  

Jeffrey Lee of Rivals reported that Tennison would play the nickel spot for Auburn's defense. According to the 247Sports Composite, Tennison's pledge puts Auburn's class at No. 4 in the SEC, and No. 7 in the nation. He is the Tigers' 19th commit for 2020.

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



Friday, September 13th, 2019

Auburn football completed its schedule for the 2022 season today. The last vacancy has been filled by a Mountain West Conference squad. 

According to FBSchedules.com, the Tigers added a home match against San Jose State for Sept. 10th, 2022. According to the report, Auburn will pay the Spartans a $1.85 million guarantee per the game contract. This will be the third all-time meeting between Auburn and San Jose State. The first two were consecutive, and both were Tiger victories. Auburn won 59-13 in 2014, and again 35-21 in 2015 (although the Spartans, to their credit, fought gamely in that one and kept it closer than expected). 

With the addition of this contest, the Tigers completed their non-conference slate for 2022. All four of those games will be home games for Auburn, including three in a row to start off the season. They will face Mercer on Sept. 3rd, San Jose State on Sept. 10th and Penn State on Sept. 17th. The Tigers will host Western Kentucky on Nov. 19th. 

While Auburn will play eight of its 12 games in Jordan-Hare Stadium that season, they will also face tough challenges with conference games on the road. They are scheduled to travel to Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama that season. Two other SEC teams will battle San Jose State before Auburn does in 2022. Arkansas will meet the Spartans in 2020, while Georgia will tangle with them in 2021. 

One last note: Some of you may not know this, but former Auburn QB Woody Barrett is now at Kent State. Will he be taking snaps for the Golden Flashes tomorrow? Will the Auburn defense have to be ready for him? We'll find out. Admittedly, I sometimes still wonder how things would have turned out for Woody had he stayed on board with the Tigers. He certainly appears to have talent. I hope he can use that for Kent State, and that he will find great success in whatever he does after wrapping up his college career. He will face his former team tomorrow night at 6 p.m. CT, with the game being televised by ESPN2.

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



Tuesday, September 10th, 2019

The Tigers will be without one of their key receivers for at least one week. Head coach Gus Malzahn reported today that Seth Williams will not play against Kent State on Saturday due to an injured shoulder. According to Malzahn, Williams is "day to day" and will be re-evaluated next week. 

Williams hurt his left shoulder on a 40-yard reception to the 1-yard line with 10:24 left in the first half against Tulane last week. Trainers examined his left arm and shoulder area, and he was fitted with a sling, which he wore on the sideline throughout the second half. 

Williams rolled in pain on the field as he came down with the catch, which was reviewed twice by the officials. It appeared Tulane may have intercepted the ball as Williams and a lone defender fought for possession with Williams rolling to the turf. The replay review confirmed that Williams caught the pass. He appeared to land awkwardly on the ball as two defenders knocked him to the turf. Receiver Eli Stove capped the drive two plays later with a 4-yard run on a jet sweep with 9:37 left in the third period. The drive covered 58 yards in seven plays. 

It would obviously be a big help to the Tigers if Williams could return for the team's SEC opener at Texas A&M on Sept. 21st, but Malzahn isn't ready to guarantee that. "I'm not ready to say yet," he stated. "Give me a little bit later in the week and I'll be able to be a little bit more direct." Williams left the game with one catch on two targets. Most notably, he was the hero in Auburn's 27-21 comeback win over then-No. 11 Oregon in the Tigers' season opener, catching a 26-yard TD toss from Bo Nix with nine seconds left to secure the win. 

No. 8 Auburn hosts Kent State (1-1) on Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by ESPN2. 

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



Monday, September 9th, 2019

When Auburn travels to College Station to face Texas A&M in Week 4, the teams will be on the prime spot on CBS. Word came out today that the Sept. 21st contest will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT. It will be the league opener for both squads. 

The Tigers have yet to be defeated in College Station. The road team had won every match in the series until last season, when Auburn overcame a 24-14 fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Aggies 28-24 in Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

The 16th-ranked Aggies are coming off a 24-10 loss at top-ranked Clemson. They will host Lamar this Saturday. Meanwhile, the eighth-ranked Tigers topped Tulane last Saturday 24-6 in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn hosts Kent State this Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPN2. 

In other news...

- Auburn has added an FBS opponent to its 2023 football schedule: New Mexico State. Brett McMurphy reported today that the Tigers would play the Aggies with a payout of $1.85 million. Auburn already has a trip to Berkeley scheduled for Sept. 9th that year to face Cal. The date for the New Mexico State game was not immediately known. The Tigers and Aggies have tangled just three times before, with the Tigers having won all three. The last meeting came in 2012, a 42-7 Auburn win (one of the Tigers' few bright spots in a nightmarish 3-9 campaign that ended with Gene Chizik being fired as head coach after four seasons). 

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

Sunday, September 8th, 2019

Our 24-6 win over Tulane at Jordan-Hare Stadium last night was far from artistic, but perhaps a let-down was inevitable after last week's thrilling comeback win over Oregon. 

The defense made the biggest statement last night. After allowing a field goal on Tulane's opening series, the Tigers held the Green Wave's offense largely in check the rest of the way. Auburn only gave up 233 yards of offense. That was certainly a far cry from the figures Tulane posted in their season-opening blowout of Florida International. It also helps that the Tigers limited the Green Wave's third-down conversion success, as Tulane went just 2-of-15 in such situations. 

Now for the offense. No, we weren't flashy or unstoppable by any standard. We rolled up 379 yards on the evening (172 rushing, 207 passing). But the ground game was particularly solid considering that it generated only 20 yards in the first 30 minutes. JaTarvious Whitlow certainly picked up the pace in the second half, and his 14-yard TD run in the third stanza largely put this one away, as the play capped a time-consuming 11-play, 82-yard drive. 

The passing game continues to be a work in progress. Bo Nix showed some improvement, going 19-of-37 for 207 yards with a touchdown and no picks. The scoring strike was a 31-yarder to Will Hastings, his first scoring reception since New Year's Day 2018 against Central Florida in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Still, Nix overthrew his targets at times, and there were a few drops by the wideouts as well. We can get those cobwebs worked out, though. 

Special teams was solid. Anders Carlson nailed one short field goal and all three PATs. His kickoffs were excellent as well. The punting game was also impressive. Arryn Siposs continues to show off his big leg. Also, I thought the coverage units improved considerably. Let's all hope that continues to be the case. 

Overall, Auburn wasn't dominant in this one, but clearly did enough things right to prevent Tulane from making it scary. You're free to dispute me on this, but I believe that our offense stayed vanilla on purpose. My instincts tell me that Gus Malzahn is saving his razzle-dazzle plays for the high-stakes games, which begin in two weeks. For now, though, we must focus on our Homecoming match with Kent State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Although this one looks like a shoe-in by all accounts, it would be wise for the Tigers to treat it like any other....especially considering that the Golden Flashes knocked off Kennesaw State yesterday in overtime. 

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



Wednesday, September 4th, 2019

Auburn fans will be treated to a special theme for the Tigers' home opener against Tulane this Saturday. It will be known as "White Out." 

This marks the first meeting with the Green Wave since 2006. Auburn soundly won that contest by a score of 38-13. The previous match before that came in 1955. Surprisingly, however, Tulane leads the all-time series, 14-17-6. Fans are encouraged to wear white to Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

"When you look at them from top to bottom, they're a veteran team," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn stated earlier this week, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.​"A veteran team special teams, offense, defense. They've won six out of their last seven games, and you can tell they're extremely well-coached. It's really one of the better teams, non-Power 5, that we've played since I've been the head coach." On the SEC media teleconference, Malzahn additionally pointed out that Tulane has "veterans everywhere." 

Saturday's game is set for kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET), and will be televised by ESPN2. 

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



Sunday, September 1st, 2019

On a rocky opening day in the SEC, it appeared as if Auburn was destined to become yet another victim when it trailed Oregon 21-6 in the third quarter. 

Not so fast, my friends. The Tigers simply refused to quit, and rallied to upset the Ducks (in more ways than one) by a score of 27-21. Offensively, we definitely sputtered in the first half, but came alive the final 30 minutes and finished the night with 383 total yards (206 rushing, 177 passing). 

The same held true for the defense. It surrendered two first-quarter TDs to Oregon in its first three series. But they rose up from that point on, allowing just one score over the Ducks' final 11 possessions, which included a fumble (which was nearly returned for an Auburn touchdown), a fourth-down stop and seven punts - four of which were three-and-outs. Those are the things we're used to seeing under Kevin Steele's leadership on that side. Yes, they gave up 332 yards, but they came through with the game on the line. 

Undoubtedly, though, our biggest trouble spot was the special teams unit. Anders Carlson was solid save for one missed field goal (which I honestly thought he made), and Arryn Siposs was impressive with his punts, but the kick coverage was atrocious. The most notable moment, at least in my mind, came on the final kickoff after we had taken the lead with nine seconds left. Frankly, Oregon's return man almost broke that return and took it to the house. Even though the Ducks needed a TD and extra point to win, it would have been horrifying to see them snatch it away from us like that. Plus, there were penalties that could have cost our return game dearly. Plenty of work needs to be done in order to clean up these issues. 

As for individual players, I have to single out Bo Nix. Granted, his final stats weren't eye-popping (17-of-37 for 177 yards with two TDs and two INTs), but I was impressed with his elusiveness under pressure and his composure. He thrived with the game on the line. And his father's reaction to the game-winning TD was priceless! I'm optimistic that Bo will continue to grow and mature, and in doing so will be well on his way to following in Patrick's footsteps. 

In a nutshell, it wasn't pretty, but a win is a win. We overcame adversity and refused to fold. It sure as heck pays to never throw in the towel, folks. This victory was even more satisfying when you consider all of the stunners that we saw yesterday. South Carolina fell to North Carolina. Georgia State left the folks in Knoxville at a loss for words. Memphis topped Ole Miss. Boise State shocked Florida State. Quite a list of casualties, huh?  Now, Gus Malzahn and his clan can turn the page to their home opener with Tulane next Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT. That game will be televised on ESPN2. 

I also have a little insight on Andy Burcham's debut as our new voice on the Auburn Network. He had a very nice opening day, and his coverage, especially that of the winning score, was quite amazing. I did, however, catch one small error. At halftime, he announced the score twice. The first time, he correctly stated that we trailed 14-6. A few seconds later, though, as he tossed to commercial, he incorrectly said it was "14-3." I'm sure it was simply first-game jitters. As a new play-by-play guy, you just want to get the first day behind you in order to get more comfortable in your new territory. I know that he will get there.

While it was certainly sad to not be able to hear Rod Bramblett or Jim Fyffe call that game-winning play, I have no doubt that they were both screaming at the top of their lungs in that big press box in Heaven! That's the best view possible! I know that Andy will continue to make them proud, and that they will be with him in spirit every step of the way.

That's all for now. I hope you all have a safe and happy Labor Day! Until next time, God Bless, and WAR EAGLE!