VIDEO: This Week in Sports | 10.31.14
This week plainsman assistant sports editor Kyle Van Fechtmann and sports reporter David McKinney analyze Auburn's upcoming football game against Ole Miss and Auburn soccer's success.
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This week plainsman assistant sports editor Kyle Van Fechtmann and sports reporter David McKinney analyze Auburn's upcoming football game against Ole Miss and Auburn soccer's success.
Auburn fans making the trip to Oxford this weekend will not be able to carry shakers with stick handles into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Saturday night for the Tigers' matchup with No. 4 Ole Miss. The University of Mississippi sent out an email Wednesday night that read, "Please be aware that 'sticks and poles' are not allowed inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. This includes standard Auburn shakers. Only shakers with paddle handles will be allowed." The game between the Tigers and the Rebels will kickoff at 6:00 p.m. Saturday night and will be broadcast on ESPN.
The first ever College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday night and Auburn took the third spot. Filling out the rest of the top four were Mississippi State at 1, Florida State at 2 and Ole Miss at 4. So, if the season were to end today, Auburn would be participating in this year's inaugural playoff by way of a match up against last year's national championship opponent Florida State. Opponent wise, Auburn still has to face off against three top-15 teams in these rankings, all three on the road. First at No. 4 Ole Miss this weekend, then between the hedges against No. 11 Georgia, then the Iron Bowl against No. 6 Alabama.
SBNation.com released their pre-season top 100 players list Tuesday, and two Auburn players made the list. Coming in at 99 was senior guard K.T. Harrell , who led the Tigers in scoring in elven games last year after transferring from Virginia in 2012 and redshirting that season at Auburn. Harrell averaged 18.3 points per game last year. The other Tiger on the list is newcomer Antoine Mason at number 70. Last year, the senior guard was the second leading scorer in the nation for the Niagara Purple Eagles, scoring 846 points on the year, good enough for an average of 25.6 points per game. Harrell, Mason and the rest of the Tigers will tipoff the much anticipated 2014 season on Nov. 7 against West Alabama at 8:30 p.m. in Auburn Arena.
Auburn announced a future home-and-home series with a new opponent Monday. On September 19, 2019, the Golden Bears of California will roll into Jordan-Hare Stadium. The next year on Sept.21, the Tigers will make the trip to California. "It's exciting," Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said, according to AL.com "The coaches, fans and players will be excited. It'll be a fun series and it will be great for Auburn. We've become a national brand now and to have Auburn on the west coast and to have those good people from Cal come to Auburn will be great for Auburn and Cal." The two teams have never played before. Cal's offensive coordinator Tony Franklin held the same position at Auburn for seven games in 2008.
The American Heart Association and the Paul Bear Bryant Awards' Title Sponsor Marathon Oil Company have released their watch list for the 2015 Coach of the Year award. The list includes Auburn's Gus Malzahn, who won the award last year after leading the Tigers to an SEC championship and a spot in the BCS National Championship. Other SEC coaches on the list include Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze, Dan Mullen of Mississippi State, Mark Richt of Georgia, and Alabama's Nick Saban. The ten finalists for the award will be announced in early December. The winner will be announced at an awards dinner on Jan. 14 in Houston.
In his first season on the Plains, true freshman defensive back Nick Ruffin has already made his presence felt with the Tigers. With Justin Garrett moving back to linebacker, Ruffin now sits at No. 2 on the depth chart at the star positon behind senior Robenson Therezie. "(Ruffin) has a lot of the same skills that Therezie has," said defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. "He's a natural DB. The biggest thing he's had to improve on right now is the big receivers stock blocking him out in space or coming off the edge and having to take on a running back on a blitz or an outside run play. He's kind of got DB skill sets, and he's looked very comfortable out there." Just because he's a backup doesn't mean Ruffin hasn't made a significant contribution to the Auburn defense. The true freshman has seen time on the field in all six games this season, recording five tackles and two pass breakups. Cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith said he appreciates the way Ruffin approaches the game and the passion he brings to the field. Smith also said Ruffin is one of the most important players in his recruiting class, and Auburn knew it wanted him wearing orange and blue for a long time. "We had coaches on the staff who had a connection with him since he was a ninth grader," Smith said. "He came down here, and he liked what coach Malzahn and all the coaches were about. He committed early. To me, he's one of the most critical guys in the class because he was a guy everybody wanted, but he chose us before we did anything (on the field)." Malzahn agreed with Smith. "(Ruffin is) one of the top corners on our board early on, and coach Melvin Smith and coach Dameyune Craig did a great job of recruiting him," Malzahn said. "He's long, he's athletic and he's got very good ball skills and high character. We're really excited about Nick." Since his arrival, Malzahn has taken notice of his on-field contributions in the defensive backfield. "He's got some natural football instincts," Malzahn said. "Sometimes freshmen come in with bright eyes, and he really wasn't that way. You could see he was real confident when he would get out there. He's a very good tackler. We think he's got a chance to be a real special player." The star position is fairly new to Ruffin, but safeties coach Charlie Harbison said he is confident Ruffin can thrive there. "He can already do things that Therezie did last year," Harbison said. "Really athletic, really smart, gym rat, loves the game," Smith said. "He has the right kind of spirit."
South Carolina is not a very good football team. Expected to be one of the top teams in not only the SEC, but the country, the Gamecocks were upset by Texas A&M in their opener in Columbia, and it's been downhill from there since then. They did pick up an impressive win against Georgia between the hedges, but also struggled early against an abysmal Vanderbilt team and lost to Kentucky. Saturday, Oct. 25, Steve Spurrier's team will roll into Jordan-Hare Stadium boasting a 4-3 record to take on the fifth ranked, 5-1 Tigers. On the Auburn side, the Tigers are coming off a much-needed bye week that gave them a chance to rest up following a tough 38-23 loss to Mississippi State in Starkville. Here are my keys to the game for the Tigers, which they'll need to execute if they hope to beat the Gamecocks and remain in the top five in the polls heading into a pivotal matchup with Ole Miss in Oxford next week. 1. Don't beat yourself. Mississippi State put a pretty good beating on Auburn. For the most part, the Bulldogs controlled the game the whole way, but people forget Auburn basically spotted the Bulldogs 21 points. The first two Auburn offensive plays resulted in turnovers and gave Heisman front runner Dak Prescott and the MSU defense a short path to the end zone. You can't do that and expect to beat any football team worth its salt. 2. Play to your defensive potential. As of Oct. 19, Auburn is home to the 26th- best rush defense in the NCAA, allowing only 120 yards per game and an average of just 3.34 yards per rush. South Carolina is the 40th- ranked passing offense and 49th-ranked rushing, so if the Auburn defense can play up to their potential, they shouldn't see much trouble against the Gamecocks. 3. Exploit Gamecock weaknesses. South Carolina has the nation's 90th-ranked rushing defense, paired with a passing defense that is allowing 239 yards per game. A healthy mix of runs and passes from Nick Marshall should translate to a win for the Tigers. 4. Red zone efficiency. Auburn struggled mightily in the red zone against MSU. For most of the game, the Tigers just couldn't seem to find the end zone. Whether it was careless penalties or questionable play calling, Auburn couldn't punch it in when they needed to, and you can't win if you can't score touchdowns. Especially in the SEC. The Tigers should be able to see some success inside the 20-yard line against South Carolina though. The Gamecocks are tied for 91st in the country in red zone defense. 5. Try giving Roc the rock. Roc Thomas brought a quick spark in the Auburn offense in the first half against Mississippi State. On three consecutive carries, he put video-game type moves on the Bulldogs and racked up 36 yards. He didn't see much other action. I'm not calling for the benching of Cameron Artis-Payne or Corey Grant, but neither of them were able to get much going against MSU. If the seniors struggle early against the Gamecocks, what's to keep the coaches from handing the ball to the talented freshman? David McKinney is a sports reporter for The Plainsman. He can be reached at sports@theplainsman.com.
Men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl can't decide what he thinks of his new team. "What has been happening pretty consistently, and I'm really not sure why, I go to practice, and I'm generally not pleased," Pearl said. "Then I go back and watch the tape, and I'm generally surprised. It was a little better than I thought. I don't know what that means." So far, it's been all fun and no games for Pearl and the Tigers. "I'm enjoying going to practice every day, and that's a really good sign," Pearl said. "We haven't had a terrific amount of adversity. Obviously, we're still undefeated. We don't know what it feels like to lose." As for the team, Pearl said that right now, Sophomore guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen is the best player the Tigers have to offer. "I love to watch film, and I love to grade film," Pearl said. "Pretty consistently, Tahj Shamsid-Deen has graded out as our best player. I told the team that right now he's our best player as far as how he's performing." Shamsid-Deen said he appreciated Pearl's comments, but also knows this is just the pre-season. "It feels good," Shamsid-Deen said. "It's just practice and there has only been a couple scrimmages, so I know I'll have to prove myself when the season actually does come around." Pearl and the team have been having a good time practicing since his arrival, but without a successful season, it'll be for naught. "I'm only going to be having fun if we win," Pearl said. "I'm not going to be having any fun if we don't win, and we haven't won anything yet."
MSU gives AU their first L of the season, so plainsman sports editor Eric Wallace and sports reporter David McKinney discuss how it happened in this special post game edition of This Week in Sports.
Turnovers, penalties and mental mistakes gave Auburn their first loss of the 2014 season Saturday. That, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who will most likely be the nation's new number one team come Sunday afternoon. The biggest game of the year couldn't have started any worse for the Tigers. After two offensive plays, Auburn had two turnovers, and the Bulldogs had 14 points. "We started out in a hole," said head coach Gus Malzahn. "You've got to give Mississippi State credit. They're a very good football team. We knew we'd have to play well to beat them, and we didn't do that." Not much else went right for Gus Malzahn's squad in Starkville from there. Down 21-0 after the first quarter, Daniel Carlson knocked in a 21-yarder on the first play of the second quarter, making it 21-3 MSU. He knocked one in from a yard further on the next drive, cutting the bulldog lead to 21-6. Jonathan Jones picked off Dak Prescott in the end zone on the ensuing Bulldog drive, and Auburn took over with 7:41 left in the half. Auburn stalled on the drive following the turnover, but was bailed out when Bulldog punt returner Jamoral Graham fumbled the kick. Brandon King recovered for Auburn and the Tigers finally found the end zone three plays later as Nick Marshall hit Duke Williams for a 9-yard score. At half, the Bulldogs led 21-13, a lead they wouldn't give up. Auburn made a small comeback, but never could make the plays it needed to in order to complete what have been a gigantic comeback. On the Tigers first drive of the second half, a questionable call wiped out what could have been a game changing play. On 3rd and 10 from his own 30, Nick Marshall hit a streaking in stride on the sideline, and Coates took the ball all the way to the MSU two yard line. Several seconds after the play was over, a flag was thrown for offensive pass interference, negating a 68 yard gain. "It was a big play in the game," Malzahn said, visibly frustrated. Coates also had a touchdown called back in the second quarter after stepping out of the back of the end zone before making the catch. On the next drive, Williams and Marshall hooked up again, this time from 15-yards out, putting the Tigers within eight points of the Bulldogs with 3:55 left in the third quarter. That score would hold the until the start of the fourth, when Bulldogs finally put the nail in Auburn's coffin. Evan Sobiesk put the MSU up 31-20 with 11:33 to go in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Ricardo Louis fumbled on the return. Less than a minute later, the Bulldogs were in the end zone again. This time, it was 1-yard Josh Robinson run that put MSU up 38-20 with 11:07 left. Auburn's last score came on a 42-yard field goal from Carlson. It looked like the Tigers might make things interesting late, but Marshall was intercepted by Justin Cox at the MSU 3-yard line. It was a sloppy game for the Tigers from start to finish. Mental mistakes, penalties, and turnovers haunted them all game long. "We never fell out of it," said cornerback Jonathan Jones, who picked off two Prescott passes. "We did face adversity, and tried our best to fight out of it." Last week, LSU didn't convert a single third down against the Auburn defense. This week, Prescott and the Bulldogs thrashed the Tigers on third down converting 8 of 17 tries. It was also a rough game for Nick Marshall, who finished just 17 of 35 for 209 yards with two interceptions. Rushing wise, the Tigers gained 232 yards. "They are tall and lanky and then just made good plays on the ball," Marshall said. "Being a quarterback, you just have to pick your windows to throw through. " The loss will no doubt hurt the Tigers in the polls, but they shouldn't fall too far off, considering this was a No. 2 vs No.3 matchup. With a bye week next week, Malzahn and the Tigers will have two weeks to prepare for Steve Spurrier and South Carolina.
It's 9 o'clock on a Monday morning. Former Auburn athletic director David Housel and his roundtable of college friends are gathered at Chappy's Deli, discussing the weekend in college football. "Monday is always a big day," Housel said. "Everybody wants to talk about football. When Auburn wins, it's a big day." The former athletic director said he's been coming to the deli since he retired, but it wasn't by choice at first. "When I retired, my wife said she wanted me to find something to do to get out of the house," Housel said. "So I started coming here, reading the paper and getting a start on the day." Before the breakfast club and retirement, Housel made a name for himself as not just athletics director, but arguably the foremost authority on all things Auburn. "What was the score of the 1964 Auburn-Alabama game?" said Ed Ruzic, college friend and co-Plainsman staffer of Housel's. Before he even finishes the question, Housel interjects. "21-14 Alabama. That was also the score of the Houston game in 1963." As an Auburn graduate who grew up 20 miles outside of Tuscaloosa, Housel said he chose Auburn for one reason. "To get a good education," Housel said. "At least, that's what I tell my Alabama friends." But of course, that decision wasn't made without a little help from the football team. "When I was 10 years old, my daddy took me to see the 1956 Auburn-Alabama game in Birmingham," Housel said. "Auburn won 34-7. I wrote Auburn and wrote Alabama and asked for information on their football teams." The responses from the two programs helped Housel determine his fandom. "Auburn sent me a media guide with a note thanking me for being an Auburn fan," Housel said. "Alabama sent me a media guide and a bill for $2. Alabama got their $2, Auburn got my heart." During his time as an Auburn student, Housel spent a year as editor of The Plainsman. "It was one of the most beneficial years of my life," Housel said. "I learned about people. I learned about some of the competing pressures. This side has a view, that side has a view, you're being pushed from both sides." Housel served as faculty adviser to The Plainsman while teaching journalism classes. Next, he became assistant sports information director. A year later, Housel was named sports information director, which he said was most enjoyable position he held during his time with the University. "There's no question about that," Housel said. "You're working with the athletes on a daily basis. You were really involved at ground level. As you go up the chain of command to athletic director, you don't have that day-to-day contact with the players." Housel added being SID gives you a little more room to be a fan. "As sports information director, you can live or die with the outcome of the game," Housel said. "As athletic director, you have to have a certain level. You can't get too high, and you can't get too low because there's always another challenge or another day. If I'm the sports information director, and Auburn scores a touchdown, it's great. Sports information can be more emotional. Athletic director has to be more cold-blooded because you have so many concerns other than just the games." In 1994, Housel's ascendance through the athletic department was finally complete. He was named athletic director April 1, of that year, a position he held until January 2005. Housel said he saw plenty of great games during his time as athletic director, but he said there's much more to the position than just sports. "You win a lot of big games and there are a lot of happy moments and there's a lot of tough moments too," Housel said. "But the most meaningful, memorable time was not every graduation day, but pretty close to it. We'd have a student come in the office and say, 'I just want to thank you. I'm the first person in my family to graduate from college or even going to college. I want to thank you for making that possible.'" These were proud moments for Housel, but he didn't take the credit for them. "They weren't thanking me," Housel said. "They were thanking Auburn. Some had been successful in competition, others had not, but to have a student athlete come in and thank you for making a difference in his or her life, that's pretty strong. Winning is fun, but what really matters is helping people. You feel like Auburn's made a difference, and you've helped Auburn make a difference." Housel's successor was current athletic director Jay Jacobs, and Housel said he thinks he's done a great job during his time. "I think Auburn's best years are just ahead of it, and I think Jay has done a good job of putting the infrastructure in place and the staff in place to help Auburn have some of its greatest years," Housel said. Housel said he has taken notice of the job Jacobs has done when it comes to quality hires. "Jay has made some of the most impressive hires, maybe, in Auburn history," Housel said. "Hiring a successful coach from another school in softball and baseball, those were big, big hires. Normally Auburn has hired assistant coaches on the way up or they've hired head coaches from smaller schools. That's been Auburn's modus operandi, but Jay made a big flash when he went and hired successful coaches from other (Division I) schools." Housel may be a walking encyclopedia of Auburn sports knowledge, but what he said he really cares about is helping Auburn students become better people than they were when they arrived on the Plains. From 1972-80, Housel tried to do just that with the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji). Housel served as a graduate-in-residence in the Fiji house for eight years. "I had the opportunity to be the part of some people's lives that I never would have had the opportunity to be a part of," Housel said. "Some of them, we've remained good friends. You like to feel like you made a difference, and I like to think I did; helped them grow, helped them learn, helped them be a better person. That's what it's all about, and I would hope that those that were there would think I did." The games were a big part of Housel's career, as well. "What's the best game I ever saw in Jordan-Hare Stadium?" Housel said alluding to 2013's last second Iron Bowl win and also alluding to the win against Georgia. . "Do you have to ask?" Housel talked about these games, and several others, with the passion of a die-hard fan, but he always came back to one point - helping people - and he said it's no different now than it was when he started at Auburn. Housel spends much of his time reading, a hobby he is attempting to share with honors students in his book club. Housel was, and still is, important to Auburn. But Auburn and its students are just as important to Housel. "That's the only thing that really matters, helping other people," Housel said. "Everything else fades away. Everything else is human."
This special addition of This Week in Sports at AU is pact full of highlights from the AU Tigers' defeat of the LSU Tigers.
On a day full of drama and upsets throughout college football, Auburn came out and took care of business against 16th-ranked LSU. It was never close in Jordan-Hare Stadium, as the Tigers offense gashed the Bayou Bengals for 566 yards of total offense and won handily by a score of 41-7. Defensively, Auburn looked strong, allowing only 142 yards through the air and 138 on the ground. "I'm very excited about our defense," head coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. "They just played outstanding. On third down they were as good as I've seen." Receiver Sammie Coates, who has been nagged all season by a knee injury, had the game of his season and his career, bringing in 4 passes for 144 yards and a TD. Throwing him those passes was Nick Marshall, who also had his best game of the season thus far. Through the air, Marshall completed 14 of his 22 attempts, totaling 207 yards and two touchdowns. Marshall also looked impressive running the ball, racking up 119 yards on 16 attempts with two tds. "Nick played very well," Malzahn said. "He played like one of the better quarterbacks in the entire country." Marshall said that the great week of practice the team had was the main reason were able to play so dominantly tonight. "We just focused the whole week," Marshall said. "What carries over from practive carries over to the game." Runningback Cameron Artis-Payne added 126 yards of his own on 24 carries. Things got going quickly for Auburn. In the first quarter alone, the Tigers gained 247 yards of offense, the most in any quarter under Gus Malzahn. The first touchdown of the night was a 56-yard bomb from Marshall to Coates that Coates pulled down from in between two LSU defenders. That put the Tigers up 10-0, and they kept rolling from there. Less than four minutes later, Marshall raced in from 7 yards out on a to make it 17-0. LSU answered on the next drive, delivering a 1-yard touchdown from Kenny Hilliard. Auburn answered right back on their next drive, going 72 yard on 7 plays, culminating in Marshall finding a wide open C.J Uzomah, putting the Tigers ahead 24-7, just 33 seconds into the second quarter. Marshall would find the endzone again before half's end, going 29 yards up the middle on a quarterback draw, putting Auburn ahead 31-7. The offense continued to look strong in the second half, scoring 10 more points and gaining another 187 yards. In addition to the offense, Ellis Johnson's defense wasn't letting LSU go anywhere. They failed to score after the first quarter, thanks in large part to the play of Auburn's front seven. LSU was 0-13 on third down conversions, and 1-for-4 on fourth down "It was a great performance," said senior cornerback Trovon Reed. "But we've still got stuff to do. We've got to get cleaned up. We've got to continue to get better and better every week." LSU freshman quarterback Brandon Harris was rattled all game long only completing 3 of his 14 pass attempts for a total of 58 yards. Thanks to their dismantling of 6th ranked Texas A&M Saturday, Auburn's matchup with Mississippi State in Starkville next Saturday will most likely be a top-10 matchup. The game time has yet to be announced.
Gus Malzahn kept with "Auburn fast" theme tonight. His final media appearance before Saturday's game against LSU lasted less than four minutes. Here are some notes and quotes from tonight's press conference. Malzahn said the team focused on third down today in practice. Without naming anyone specifically, Malzahn said the team's injured players were at practice, some of them participating, while some just watched. Starting linebackers Casanova McKinzy and Kris Frost were injured last Saturday against Louisiana Tech, as was starting offensive lineman Patrick Miller. According to Malzahn, they are still listed as day-to-day. "It's not the best case scenario but it is what it is," Malzahn said. "As a coach you put your guys in there, you get them prepared." Junior receiver Sammie Coates has been battling a nagging injury but Malzahn said he believes Coates is "getting healthier every week."
Punt Bama Punt. Louis is Gonna Score. Nix to Sanders. The Kick Six. These are plays any Auburn fan would recognize. Incredible endings to the late-season rivalry games with Georgia and Alabama have provided Auburn fans with unforgettable memories, but what about a mid-season rival? In the past 10 years, the Auburn-LSU matchup has provided fans of both teams with several classic games. Start in 2004. No. 14 Auburn is playing host to the fifth-ranked Bayou Bengals for the season's SEC opener. A 2-0 Auburn, on its way to an undefeated campaign, came out on top of a defensive battle for the ages, winning 10-9. Down 9-3 with 1:14 left, quarterback Jason Campbell hit Courtney Taylor in the back of the end zone. Kicker John Vaughn missed the following extra point, only to be given a shot at redemption on an LSU penalty. Vaughn delivered on the second try, and Auburn moved to 3-0 on the season. The next year, Vaughn would once again be involved in a classic game, but wouldn't come through for LSU. Vaughn hit the uprights in overtime in Baton Rouge, giving LSU a three-point win. All told, Vaughn missed five field goals, including a 49-yard potential game winner in the final seconds of regulation. In 2006, another defensive battle in Jordan- Hare came down to the last play. Up 7-3, the Auburn defense stood strong, with Eric Brock tackling LSU receiver Craig Davis just a few yards short of the goal line. The 2007 matchup still haunts Auburn fans seven years later. It may be the most Les Miles win ever, LSU forwent a chance at a game-winning field goal and chucked one to the end zone, where Demetrius Byrd caught the Matt Flynn pass in stride, giving fifth-ranked LSU a 30-24 lead with just one second to go. LSU would win again in 2008, its first win in Jordan-Hare in 10 years. Coming into the game, Auburn was ranked 10th with LSU sitting at No. 6. With 1:08 to go, Jarrett Lee hit Brandon Lafell on an 18-yard touchdown pass to give LSU the 26-21 victory. Gene Chizik's first matchup with LSU in 2009 wasn't close, with No. 9 LSU handing unranked Auburn a 31-10 loss. However, 2010 was a different story. LSU was No. 6, Auburn No. 4. Considered by many to be the game where quarterback Cam Newton locked up the Heisman Trophy, Auburn won a hard-fought game. The winning touchdown came on a 70-yard run from Onterio McCalebb with 5:05 to go. The play of the game, though, was Newton's 49-yard touchdown scramble, breaking tackles from almost every LSU defender. The 2011 game wasn't close. LSU was the No. 1 team in the country and blew out No. 19 Auburn 45-10. In 2012, in the midst in one of the worst seasons in Auburn football history, Auburn played just about their only impressive game of the year, but still came out on the wrong end of a 12-10 loss to the country's second-ranked team. A year later, in Death Valley, Auburn was still searching for an identity, and started slow. Down 21-0 at half, Auburn stormed back, but it was too little, too late, and LSU won 35-21, giving Gus Malzahn's team their only regular season loss of the year. There have been some great games in the rivalry, and Saturday shouldn't be any different. LSU comes into Jordan-Hare ranked at 16, while Auburn sits at No. 5. In the past 10 years, the home team has lost only twice: Auburn in 2008, and again in 2012. These games have undoubtedly thrown fuel on the fire that is this rivalry, but Auburn definitely has been on the wrong end of the games in the last decade. LSU has won seven of those last 10 games, some in heartbreaking fashion, and some by way of an embarrassing blowout. With those defeats in mind, especially 2013's, Auburn will no doubt have vengeance on its mind Saturday in Jordan-Hare.
Quan Bray has saved his best season for last. With only three career touchdowns coming into this year, Bray has a total of four in 2014's first four games, two receiving, and two on punt returns. And he'll only get better from here. Against Louisiana Tech, Bray had a career day, going for two touchdowns on three receptions for 91 yards, as well as a 76-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter, to extend Auburn's lead over the Bulldogs to 38-10. "He played great," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "That was one of his best all-around games he's had. He graded out and played well the whole game." Following the game, Bray was named the SEC's Special Teams Player of the Week. Bray said his performance against the Bulldogs, in large part, was in remembrance of his late mother, who passed away in 2011 after being shot by Bray's father during Bray's sophomore year. Bray's father was sentenced to life in prison, and Bray went on to honor his mother on the field. "I wish she could be here," Bray said. "But God does everything for a reason. I take that and let it be a strength for me." Bray went on to say that "I know she's watching with a front-row seat and I know she'd love to be here." Bray not only honors his mother through his play, but also on his gear. "I've always got 'RIP Ma' on," Bray said. "Every time. Every game. Definitely. I give all." Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said he is impressed with the way Bray has been playing so far this season, and asks all of the other seniors to play up to the same level. "We ask our seniors to play the best they've ever played, and he's really been raising his level," Malzahn said. "I'm very happy for him and he's definitely raising his level." Fellow offensive player Corey Grant has also noticed Bray's raised level of play and hard work. "It was a great day for him and he's been working hard off the field and on the field," Grant said, following Bray's career day against La. Tech. "It's paid off because he's been doing everything right and working hard." Through four games, Bray is the Tigers second-leading receiver, just behind newcomer Duke Williams, with six receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns, to go with this tow punt-return two TDs. As the season kicks into gear and the Tigers start working through their grueling SEC schedule, Bray and the rest of the talented Auburn receiving corps will need to keep up the impressive display they've put on thus far this season.
Senior wide receiver Quan Bray had career day against Louisiana Tech Saturday and as a result has been named the SEC's Special Teams Player of the Week. Against the Bulldogs, Bray had his second punt-return touchdown of the 2014 season, a 76-yard scamper in the 4th quarter that extended the Tigers lead to 38-10. Bray also led the team in receiving, catching three passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. "He played great," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "That was one of his best all-around games he's had. He graded out and played well the whole game."
Gus Malzahn's HUNH offense has been a victim of a few slow starts this season. The Tigers struggled mightily on third down against Louisiana Tech in the first half, even with their number one national ranking on third down conversions. The Tigers were 6 of 14 on third down against the Bulldogs. "We weren't very good on third down," said offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. "We've gotta get our guys in some good plays in those situations." Several of the third down attempts for Auburn were third and longs, which Lashlee said is a situation no team ever wants to be in. "It doesn't matter who you are, where you're playing, or who your quarterback is. Third and long is third and long," Lashlee said. "Third and seven plus is a lot lower percentage of picking up than third and six or less." Lashlee added that a few sloppy plays contributed to Auburn's early struggles. "We had a couple more negative plays than we have in the past," Lashlee said. "We had a couple plays that got us behind the chains. Things that are a little uncharacteristic of us." Saturday, the LSU Tigers, Auburn's only regular season defeat last year, will come to town looking to slow down the Tigers offense for a whole game. "It's always a great game," Lashlee said. "John Chavis (LSU's defensive coordinator) has done it for a long time." Revenge will undoubtedly be on the mind of the Tigers when they hit the field Saturday night. "They whipped us last year, especially in the first half," Lashlee said. "Our guys should be very motivated to play better in this game. There's no question, we've struggled against LSU. It's a credit to them and coach Chavis and what they do. They're good at what they do." As far as matchups, Auburn's offense should see some success against the Bayou Bengals. While LSU is 17th in the nation in total defense, their run defense will come into Jordan Hare allowing 159 yards per game, good for a ranking of 73. Through four games, Auburn is averaging 262 rush yards per game. The biggest for Auburn will be through the air, where LSU is only allowing 137.8 yards per game, giving them a national ranking of seven. "It's going to be a good challenge for us to try and redeem ourselves," Lashlee said. Another source of motivation, at least for Duke Williams, could be the fact that he is a Louisiana native, and was heavily recruited by LSU before committing to Auburn, but Lashlee said narratives like that don't get discussed all that much. "He's (Williams) a competitor and he's ready to play every week, it doesn't really matter who we're playing," Lashlee said. "Louisiana being his home state, I'm sure this is a special, important game for him. We're not gonna talk about it a lot. We're gonna go on with our business." Williams has been a spark for the Auburn receiving corps, as has senior Quan Bray. Against LA Tech, Bray had three receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a 76-yard punt return for a touchdown, his second of the year. "He played great," Lashlee said. "That was one of his best all-around games he's had. He graded out and played well the whole game." Bray, Williams and the rest of the offense will have their work cut out for them Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Jordan Hare Stadium.
After a blowout win against Louisiana Tech Saturday, Auburn is holding steady in the polls. The Tigers (4-0, 1-0) are ranked 5th in both the Amway Coaches Poll and the AP poll. The Tigers next opponent, LSU, moved up to 15. That game is next Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Jordan Hare Stadium. It is the first in a treacherous run of opponents for Auburn, which includes six teams ranked in the top 15, as well as two in the top 10. Only two of the Tigers opponents the rest of the way are unranked; Samford, and South Carolina, who fell from the ranks after a 21-20 loss at home to Missouri.