Tag: Auburn Tigers

Twitter reacts to Auburn basketball’s self-imposed postseason ban

Auburn self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2020-21 basketball season and Twitter reacted as usual.

Citing the 2017 Chuck Person bribery scandal, Auburn basketball has decided to forgo the 2020-2021 postseason to avoid further punishment at the hands of the NCAA.

The news broke this afternoon and fans had mixed reactions as many felt the worst was already behind the Tigers, but could see this season as being an off year due to youth and inexperience.

For more details on the story read here.

Auburn basketball to forgo postseason basketball following 2020-21 season

Auburn basketball will not take part in postseason basketball following the 2020-21 season.

A bombshell came out of the Auburn basketball department on Sunday when it was announced that the Tigers will forgo postseason basketball for the 2020-21 season.

From the press release:

The Auburn men’s basketball program will forgo postseason competition for the upcoming 2020-2021 season. The NCAA and the SEC have been notified.

The athletics department and university administration, in conjunction with Coach Bruce Pearl, made the decision after careful deliberation and in light of the ongoing matter that surfaced in fall 2017 regarding former assistant coach Chuck Person. Auburn has cooperated with the NCAA and will continue to do so.

We regret the impact this decision has on our student-athletes, yet it was made in the best long-term interest of the program. Because of the ongoing matter, we will not comment further but hope for swift consideration and resolution of the matter.

Bruce Pearl Statement

“This was a difficult decision but the right decision. I hate it for our current players. They lost the opportunity for the postseason last year because of COVID, and now they will miss the postseason again. It’s a two-year postseason penalty for them. However, we need to take this penalty now to put it behind us.”

 

Auburn announces attendance plans for 2020-21 basketball season

Auburn Arena will be at 20% capacity this year for the 2020-21 basketball season.

The Jungle will be a little less full this season.

On Thursday, the Auburn athletic department announced its attendance policy for the 2020-21 basketball seasons.

From the press release:

In accordance with current state health COVID-19 guidelines, Auburn Arena capacity will be reduced to approximately 20% to begin the 2020-21 season for both men’s and women’s basketball.

To meet SEC protocol and to allow for proper physical distancing, the team benches will be flipped from the east sideline to the west. Bleachers in sections D-N will be unavailable for student/fan seating for the 2020-21 season.  In addition, floor seating will not be available.  Available seats will be arranged in groups of two and four with 6 feet of distancing between each block of seats.  Unavailable seats will be marked accordingly.

Face coverings (over the nose and mouth) will be required for all spectators and gameday workers upon entry and while inside the arena.  Guests may remove face coverings while actively eating or drinking.  Additional information related to health and safety guidelines for Auburn Arena will be communicated directly to ticket holders and released on auburntigers.com/basketballgameday.

“I would like to thank the Auburn Family for their patience, understanding and cooperation as we develop plans for the 2020-21 men’s and women’s basketball seasons,” said Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene.  “Hosting athletic events during a pandemic continues to present a number of challenges, but we look forward to providing a safe, secure and healthy environment for our student-athletes and all those in attendance at Auburn Arena.”

Ticket information has been sent directly to season ticket holders for both men’s and women’s basketball.  Information on requesting men’s basketball tickets will be sent to current Auburn students.  All tickets for the 2020-21 men’s and women’s basketball season will be delivered digitally.

For men’s basketball, Auburn students will make up the highest percentage of tickets for the home opener on Dec. 4 vs. South Alabama, as well as all SEC games beginning with Alabama on Jan. 9through the end of the season.  For home games occurring over the holiday break between Dec. 15 and Dec. 30, a majority of tickets will be distributed to Tigers Unlimited season ticket holders and faculty and staff, with students still receiving a limited number of seats.  Premium seating locations on the east side of Auburn Arena will be reserved for Tigers Unlimited donors for the duration of the 2020-21 season.  Men’s basketball parking will also be digital, and information concerning parking will be sent directly to ticket holders.

For women’s basketball, all season tickets will be general admission in the 100 level of Auburn Arena.  Students will be admitted to women’s basketball with a valid Ignited card.  Parking will be available and free of charge in the lots surrounding Auburn Arena, including the Arena lot, the Coliseum lot and the Campus Safety lot.

For more information and the latest updates, please visit auburntigers.com/basketballgameday

Tommy Tuberville details how Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams flipped Tennessee commitments to Auburn

Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville detailed how the Tigers flipped both Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams from Tennessee commits.

(This post was originally published on Vols Wire.)

A pair of Auburn football legends, Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams, left their mark on the Tigers’ program from 2000-04.

The running back duo finished their Auburn careers with an undefeated 2004 season and winning the Southeastern Conference championship.

Brown and Williams chose to play for Auburn after flipping their commitments from Tennessee.

Tennessee and Phillip Fulmer recruited Brown to play linebacker. After Brown committed to the Vols, then-Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville recruited him for a chance to play running back.

“Ronnie Brown had committed to Tennessee,” Tuberville said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days.” “They wanted him as a linebacker. We went and recruited him as a running back and got Ronnie and Carnell, so we were able to snag a couple away from Phillip, and made us a much better football team.”

Brown committed to Auburn and was part of the Tigers’ 2000 signing class. He redshirted during the 2000 season.

Williams followed suit in 2001 and was a tough task for Tuberville to flip the Etowah High School (Alabama) running back away from Tennessee.

“It was a battle, no doubt about it,” Tuberville said of Williams’ recruitment. “We were his last visit the week before signing day. We were just trying to hold on to the visit, much less get him to sign.”

Williams was committed to Tennessee, but always kept Alabama and Auburn in his top three schools. The Crimson Tide had a head coaching change from Mike DuBose to Dennis Franchione following the 2000 season, narrowing Williams’ choice to Tennessee and Auburn at the end.

“They had just changed at Alabama, which helped both with me and Phillip,” Tuberville said. “Eddie Gran, our running backs coach, had been recruiting him. Eddie is a great recruiter, good coach, and built a good relationship with him. Unfortunately, before he comes to us, Carnell commits to Phillip Fulmer on his visit and called me and Eddie Gran, and said ‘I am not taking my visit; I am going to Tennessee’.

“We just begged him to come — finally I said ‘Carnell, at least let me come see you and visit with you’. He said ‘OK, Coach, I’ll see you Monday afternoon, after school.’ I took every coach with me — boys we are loading up. We flew up to where Carnell was at, and I took every coach. I actually took a picture of Bo Jackson and put Carnell’s face on Bo’s picture holding the Heisman Trophy. I think with all of the attention that we gave him and his Mom, that we earned that visit that weekend. They all came, and, fortunately, he flipped and came to our place.”

On Feb. 7, 2001, Williams signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Auburn and Tuberville.

Brown was the No. 2 pick in the 2005 NFL draft, while Williams went No. 5 overall. Brown rushed for 2,735 yards and 28 touchdowns. Williams totaled 3,831 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns during his career at Auburn.

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Auburn-Tennessee with Vols Wire Dan Harralson

Previewing Saturday’s matchup in Jordan-Hare Stadium between Auburn and Tennessee with Vols Wire managing editor Dan Harralson.

As a preview for Auburn hosting Tennessee on Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium, I spoke with Vols Wire managing editor Dan Harralson regarding the matchup.

Where do you think the Volunteers go at the quarterback position the rest of the season?
Jeremy Pruitt continues to address the quarterback position as whomever has the best week of practice will be the starter. Jarrett Guarantano looks to remain in the starting role, however he did leave the Arkansas game with a head injury. He could still be in concussion protocol, which would allow for someone such as freshman Harrison Bailey to have a chance for more playing time.
What are a couple of advantages you think that Tennessee might have on Auburn?
Tennessee has a lot of talented and big guys upfront on the offensive line.
What matchup or matchups against Auburn have you concerned for Tennessee?
Tennessee’s defense this season has struggled to defend slants, RPOs and plays in the middle. Gus Malzahn’s offensive philosophies could once again exploit Tennessee’s weakness on defense.
What Vols player should Auburn be aware of that maybe no one is talking about?
Freshman wide receiver Jalin Hyatt looks to become more involved in Tennessee’s offense throughout the final four regular season games.
How much do you think the extra week off helped the Vols?
It helped in terms of being able to have time in resting. Tennessee has also been able to provide more reps to younger players in practice.
Give me one reason Tennessee will walk out of Jordan-Hare with a victory?
Quarterback play. This has been the issue all season for the Vols. If Guarantano, Bailey or whoever takes snaps and can move the offense, Pruitt has a chance in winning two consecutive games at Auburn.
Give me one reason Tennessee will walk out of Jordan-Hare with a loss?
Quarterback play.
What is your thought on the future of Jeremy Pruitt as head coach?
Pruitt has been able to start building a roster to the type of players that fits his system. He has not been able to build his coaching staff to the level that he has envisioned. Tennessee will have three assistant coaches with expiring contracts at the end of January and Pruitt will also fill a vacant defensive line position. He needs better quarterback play and has a chance to strengthen his staff in a critical 2021 season to turn things around as a program.
Final score prediction?
Auburn 31 Tennessee 20

3 reasons why Tennessee will beat Auburn

Auburn returns to the football field for the first time in 20 days on Saturday as the Tigers host Tennessee in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

I laughed out loud typing that headline, but then recoiled in horror when I relived the 2018 Auburn vs Tennessee game. That’s the beauty of playing in the SEC. Just when you think a team is down and out they come along and surprise the college football world by pulling out a big win.

Could Tennessee do that against Auburn on Saturday?

It would be highly unlikely, but not impossible as we all know. As of right now Auburn is favorited by 10.5 points. This spread is much less generous than 2018 when the Tigers were picked to win by 18. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Tigers an 86.4% chance to win on Saturday which adds further fuel to the fires already burning beneath Volunteer head coach Jeremy Pruitt’s hot seat.

Here are three reasons why Tennessee *could* beat Auburn.

Auburn forgets how to move the ball

The main reason why Tennessee is on a four-game losing streak is because the Volunteer defense is allowing 408 yards of total offense and 5.8 yards per play. Remember how pitiful Auburn’s offense was in the first few games of this season? It was a cautious tale that was quickly corrected after Auburn lost to the unranked dumpster fire that is South Carolina, but hear me out on this one.

The Tigers have had not one but two bye weeks due to an increase in COVID-19 cases throughout both Mississippi State and Auburn football programs. If the Tigers return from the bye weeks in the same sluggish fashion they began this season with then this is a game that could end up getting ugly.

Auburn defense lets Tennessee move the chains

Auburn’s defense has had a tough time getting off the field on third down which is something I greatly wish to see the Tigers improve upon in the last four games of this season. They gave up 315 passing yards to LSU and were gutted by the Ole Miss run game. The Tigers can’t afford to give Tennessee a multitude of opportunities here.

Auburn makes mental errors 

Have you ever failed a test because you rushed through it so you could begin something more exciting? It’s easier to focus on bigger and more fun things than the mundane task at hand, but Auburn will have to maintain all of its focus on Tennessee instead of looking ahead to next weekend’s Iron Bowl. Any mental error or slip up could result in a player ejected for targeting, an injury, or a costly gift of unnecessary yardage. We’ll need all of the players we can get next weekend and in order for that to happen the Tigers will need to have a cleanly executed game against the Volunteers.

I don’t know about you all, but I can’t survive another repeat of what happened in 2018. Here’s hoping that Saturday is as painless as possible and that Gus Malzahn pulls out all the stops in celebration of his 100th game!

Twitter reacts to Isaac Okoro getting drafted 5th overall by Cleveland Cavaliers

Twitter was on fire after former Auburn star Isaac Okoro was drafted fifth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

ISAAC OKORO HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN DRAFTED 5TH OVERALL BY THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS!

You all know what this means, in addition to being fans of the Orlando Magic we must now become fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers as well. The timeline went absolutely bananas when the news broke. Here’s how it began (WOJ BOMB SPOILER ALERT)!

And then it became official:

Side note: Bruce Pearl appears to have given an interview on the side of the road.

 

Just kidding, it was a parking lot. Still hilarious.

War Eagle! If anyone asks we have all been lifelong Cavalier fans (and Magic fans too). Congratulations Isaac!

Former Oklahoma TE Grant Calcaterra is transferring to Auburn

It was a precarious situation whenever Grant Calcaterra was missing from action during the 2019 season without much reason. 

It was a precarious situation whenever Grant Calcaterra was missing from action during the 2019 season without much reason.

Calcaterra then came out with a personal video Twitter detailing that he was stepping away from football due to concussion issues suffered during his playing years at Oklahoma. He took some big hits on passes from Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts before hanging them up.

Less than a year later, Calcaterra announced he was returning to play football. It just wasn’t going to be back at Oklahoma and that he was entering the transfer portal.

Three months have passed and now the former Sooners tight end has a new home in the SEC. Calcaterra announced on Twitter that he was headed to play at Auburn.

In his Oklahoma career, Calcaterra finished with 637 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. His career included memorable moments like the two touchdowns against Texas in the 2018 Big 12 Championship or the finger-tip catch against TCU in 2017.

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5-star forward Jabari Smith officially signs with Auburn

Five-star power forward Jabari Smith, one of the top five players in the 2021 class, has officially signed with Auburn.

It is never official until it is official. Well, now it is official. (Try saying that five times really fast.)

Five-star power forward Jabari Smith has officially signed with Auburn, becoming the top-ranked player ever to pen with the program.

From Auburn’s press release:

Smith is a consensus five-star forward by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. He is rated as the No. 4 player in the country in the 2021 class by Rivals and No. 5 by 247Sports and ESPN. Smith is the highest-rated signee in program history.

Chosen as the No. 1 player from the state of Georgia, Smith averaged 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor, including 38 percent from 3, while playing at Sandy Creek High School.

“Competitive programs are built by bringing in really good people that want to work hard together to accomplish something special,” Pearl said. “What gets lost in Jabari being ranked as one of the top-5 players in the country is that he’s one of the top-5 people because of his character and his work ethic. That fits what we’re trying to do at Auburn.

“A skilled big that can play any position on the floor, he is a very difficult matchup. Being an hour and a half from his home, having Chuma Okeke and Isaac Okoro come before him and develop, seeing the environment of Auburn Arena firsthand, these were all factors that led to his commitment.”

Smith was tabbed as a MaxPreps Junior All-American and an all-state selection a year ago while leading the Patriots to a 25-5 record, including 12-0 in the region, and an appearance in the Class 4A state quarterfinals. Following the 2019-20 season, he was named the Junior of the Year in Class 4A.

As a sophomore, Smith averaged 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, two blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 48 percent from the court as he led Sandy Creek to a 27-4 record, including 12-0 in the region.

More recently, Smith was named the Most Valuable Player at the Pangos All-American Festival when he racked up 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in a game that featured many of the top prospects in the nation.

Smith represented his country as he paced USA Basketball to a gold medal in the FIBA Americas U16 championship while averaging 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds.

On the AAU circuit, Smith played for the Atlanta Celtics and led them to a championship in the Adidas Gauntlet series.

Smith is the son of Jabari Smith Sr., who played at LSU for two seasons before playing in the NBA in stints with the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings. Smith is also the cousin of 13-year NBA veteran Kwame Brown, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2001.

I rewatched the 2018 Auburn vs Tennessee game so you don’t have to

Auburn looked nothing like the Tigers we are used to in the 2018 embarrassing loss to Tennessee in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Have you ever missed football so much that you become willing to rewatch one of the worst losses you’ve ever seen to a dumpster fire opponent?

I have.

That’s what two bye weeks have done to me. I have rewatched the 2018 Auburn vs Tennessee game and I have some thoughts.

First of all, what a mess.

The final score may have been 30-24, but it felt like Tennessee had hung 60 on the Tigers. This is thanks in large part to three costly turnovers committed at the hands of current New England Patriots backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Stidham threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns but the quarterback became unraveled after he threw his first interception in the second quarter.

Luckily the Volunteers weren’t able to capitalize off of that interception, but it didn’t matter because they’d get 14 points off Stidham’s last two errors.

The most nauseating moment of the entire game came late in the third quarter when the Tigers forgot the concept of ball security. I remember watching this play in Moe’s Barbecue. Major thanks to the Florida State fans who offered the shots after this. So Auburn has the ball on their own 30-yard line. Stidham runs backwards…and then he keeps running backwards before finally getting strip sacked by two dudes.

I can’t even remember how many people tried to recover the ball after that but I know there were at least three Auburn guys tangled up in the scuffle. None of them were successful and Tennessee’s Alontae Taylor ran the ball in for the Tennessee touchdown.

The miscue was preposterous and ended up injuring running back JaTarvious Whitlow who was unable to return for the remainder of the game.

Auburn’s next three offensive drives resulted in a missed field goal, a punt, and a turnover on downs. The Tigers attempted to stifle the bleeding with a late touchdown in the fourth quarter, but were unable to recover the onside kick afterwards. This was about the time I began deliberating whether or not I should leave Moe’s to find Charles Barkley at Hamilton’s. I did not because bushwackers and wings.

It’s sad, but when you rewatch the game you can really hear the boos echoing from the fans in Jordan-Hare. If you listen really closely you can probably hear us lamenting in Moe’s as well. Some fans may have been booing Stidham, but the majority would say they were directing those boos at head coach Gus Malzahn who had just been gifted the most insane contract extension of all-time.

Word of advice, don’t look at the stat line for this game. Don’t even re-watch this game because its not 2018 anymore, its 2020 and Auburn is in much better shape than they were in 2018. This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for that.