Tag: Auburn

Alabama football DC Kevin Steele shocklngly announces to retire

Alabama DC Kevin Steele set to retire in the coming days

It likely did not come as a surprise to Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, but in a shocking move to the Crimson Tide fan base, defensive coordinator [autotag]Kevin Steele[/autotag] plans to retire in the coming days. 2023 marked Steele’s third stint with Saban and the Tide, and ultimately he was very solid in his last dance. The Alabama defense kept the Tide’s season alive as the Tide went through their early season growing pains and Steele deserves a ton of recognition and praise for that.

In the Tide’s ugly Week 3 win over USF, the Alabama offense had 10 points on the board until Ty Simpson scored a TD with 33 seconds left in the game to make it 17. Had it not been for the Alabama defense holding USF to three points, that game definitely could have gone another way than a 17-3 victory. The following week, Steele’s squad held a high-octane Ole Miss side to 10 points in a crucial top-15 matchup.

The departure of Steele is an unfortunate loss, but I’m sure Saban has been aware of this for a while and his been working behind the scenes. It will be curious to see who he has in mind as a replacement, but a lot of fans have rallied behind the idea of DB coach Travaris Robinson being promoted from within. Ironically, Robinson was a First-team All-SEC DB for Auburn back in 2002.

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Razorback fans spew barbs on social media after historic loss

Arkansas Razorbacks basketball fans are on the verge of throwing in the towel after Saturday’s historic loss to Auburn.

ESPN analyst and former Arkansas basketball player Jimmy Dykes called it an “old-fashioned rear kicking” during the on-air broadcast, and that pretty much painted the perfect picture.

No. 25 Auburn, who had won just five times in 28 all-time trips to Arkansas, made history with it’s sixth victory in Fayetteville on Saturday, handing the Razorbacks an 83-51 loss – the Hogs’ largest losing deficit in the 31-year history of Bud Walton Arena.

The Razorback faithful, who are still reeling from a disappointing football season, have now began losing confidence in a basketball program that has advanced to the past three Sweet 16s of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers (12-2) outscored Arkansas (9-5) by 25 points in the second half of the celebrated “stripe-out game,” causing the striped stands to begin emptying well before the final buzzer.

Here is a sample of the social media grumblings on X (Twitter), following Saturday’s horrendous loss.

Jan 6, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman reacts to a call during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Rejuvenated Razorbacks welcome Auburn to the Bud for SEC opener

Keyon Menifield Jr. will look to continue giving Arkansas a much-needed spark as Auburn comes to town for the SEC-opener on Saturday.

The last time Auburn made an appearance in Bud Walton Arena, the Tigers were the No. 1 team in the country and had to leave the court through a court-storming of Razorback fans, following a 80-76 loss to the Hogs in 2022.

Auburn returns to the hallowed arena Saturday at 1 p.m., ranked No. 25, and facing an unranked, yet rejuvenated Arkansas team, in the SEC conference-opener.

The Razorbacks (9-4) have been on a roller-coaster ride throughout the non-conference portion of the season, including a win over No. 7 Duke and a home loss to mid-major UNC Greensboro.

Auburn (11-2) has been steady through the early season, but has lost to the only ranked team it has faced – an 88-82 loss to No. 20 Baylor on Nov. 7 – while also dropping a road game to mid-major Appalachian State last month.

Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman has emphasized the importance of getting the conference slate started in the right direction, for both teams.

“Well, I think, every game, whether you’re home or road, is really important to both teams,” Musselman said. “It’s the start of conference play. It’s one game. But it’s against a team that has won a lot of games since Coach (Bruce) Pearl has been there. They’re going to be ready to play and we hope that our guys are ready to play. You’re playing against a team that is ranked. I think, any time you play against a team that’s ranked, you should be ready to play.”

Since a 79-70 loss to Oklahoma on Dec. 9, the Razorbacks have won three straight games with newly inserted point-guard Keyon Menifield Jr. playing a major roll in their recent success.

Menifield transferred from Washington before the season, but was ruled ineligible to play by the NCAA for the first semester. The 6-foot-1 speedster lit up the scoreboard for a career-high 32 points in a 106-90 victory over UNC Wilmington last Saturday.

“I think he’s just an innate baller,” Musselman said this week. “You could probably throw him on any team tomorrow and he would figure it out. He’s got unbelievable court awareness. We need him to practice a little bit harder and we need him to improve in some areas. But his teammates really like him – they like playing with him – and you can see that.”

This will be the 60th meeting all-time between the two programs, with all but one of those games coming since the Razorbacks joined the conference in 1992. Arkansas own a 38-21 advantage in the series, including a 23-5 mark in games played in Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks have won 14 of the last 19 contests against the Tigers, including a split last season. Auburn won at home during the regular season, before Arkansas returned the favor in the SEC Tournament.

Fans are encouraged to participate in the “Stripe-Out” of Bud Walton Arena for the game. You can view the map to see what sections are marked for red and for white.

Dec 21, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Tramon Mark (12) dribbles in the second half against the Abilene Christian Wildcats at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 83-73. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Lady Vols win at Auburn in SEC opener

Lady Vols win at Auburn in SEC opener.

Tennessee (8-5, 1-0 SEC) defeated Auburn (11-3, 0-1 SEC), 75-67, Thursday at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama.

The Tigers led, 40-32, at halftime.

Rickea Jackson totaled 24 points and 19 rebounds for the Lady Vols. She was one of three Tennessee players to score 10-plus points in the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools.

Jasmine Powell scored all 16 points in the second-half, while Kaiya Wynn finished with 10 points, six assists and five rebounds for Tennessee.

Jewel Spear and Karoline Striplin each scored seven points for the Lady Vols, while Tamari Key had four points, six rebounds and three blocks.

Thursday’s win is Tennessee’s fourth consecutive.

PHOTOS: Kellie Harper through the years

Behind Enemy Lines with Auburn Wire’s JD McCarthy

We go Behind Enemy Lines with Auburn Wire’s JD McCarthy in time for Saturday’s league opener in Bud Walton Arena.

Auburn and Arkansas have rarely began conference play against each other, but it’s not unheard of.

It has happened four times since Arkansas joined the SEC (1991-92, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2020-21).

Eric Musselman was a part of that December 2020 meeting, which saw the Razorbacks score 97 points and win comfortably by 12 in Neville Arena.

Auburn just entered the Associated Press Top 25 in time for Saturday’s meeting in Bud Walton Arena.

Bruce Pearl’s Tigers are 11-2 and have only lost at a neutral site to Baylor and on the road at Applachian State.

Pearl is 2-3 as the Auburn coach in Bud Walton Arena. Counting his Tennessee tenure, he is 4-3, although his 2010-11 team lost but he was still suspended at the time and Tony Jones is credited with that loss.

We talked to Auburn Wire’s JD McCarthy this week and got his thoughts about Auburn and what he expects Saturday.

Clemson falls to Auburn in the inaugural ACC/SEC challenge

Clemson falls to Auburn in the first ever ACC/SEC Challenge.

AUBURN, Alabama – Clemson headed to Auburn Thursday night as they fell to the Tigers by a score of 83-53 in the first ever ACC/SEC Challenge.

Clemson got behind in the first quarter with a 19-10 deficit and never found a way to recover. CU’s scoring and offense increased and improved every quarter, but Auburn pulled away for the victory.

Clemson (5-4) was led in scoring by Dayshanette Harris who was 5 for 10 on the floor, scoring 14 points. MaKayla Elmore led the Tigers by grabbing 10 rebounds. Clemson leaves Auburn and wraps up their longest stretch away from home this season (four games). As the Tigers return home, they will embark on a four game home stretch which will also be their longest of the season.

UP NEXT: Clemson looks to bounce back when they host Duke in the Tigers’ ACC opener. That game will be in Littlejohn Coliseum on December 7 and will tip off at 7 PM.

Kadyn Proctor named SEC Freshman Player of the Week for Iron Bowl performance

SEC honors Alabama freshman Kadyn Proctor for outstanding Iron Bowl performance

Alabama quarterback [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] was the star of the Iron Bowl for the Crimson Tide as he accounted for 366 yards off offense by himself as well as throwing the game’s winning touchdown. For his heroic efforts, Milroe will receive all the applause and fame, but it was truly a total team effort. The unsung heroes of Alabama’s Iron Bowl victory was the offensive line.

Going into the year the O-Line was widely expected to be one of the best in the country, but struggled from very early on. As the year has gone on the group has gotten so much better, and especially Kadyn Proctor. Proctor was a five-star recruit and one of the most promising players Saban has had at the position. Proctor remarkably earned the starting left tackle job heading into Week 1 and has held the job since. There have been some major growing pains with Proctor such as two really poor games against Texas and USF, but he’s grown up a ton in the past 12 weeks.

Saban knew there would be some early growing pains with Proctor, but as he’s worked through them he is a crazy promising prospect. Proctor played his best game of the year on the biggest stage this past Saturday as he was a key piece in the Tide’s Iron Bowl victory over Auburn. For his efforts, the SEC recognized Proctor as the Freshman Player of the Week.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

5 Stars: The best and the worst of Notre Dame’s win over Stanford

Once again, a lot of good for the Irish

The Irish really didn’t need to do much to defeat Stanford, as long as they played an average game, it should be a Notre Dame win. That’s exactly what happened, although you could argue that it wasn’t an average game for the Irish but a very good regular season win. There once again wasn’t too much to complain about, but here are the best, 5 stars, and worst, 1 star, performances for the Irish against the Cardinal.

What the Week 14 CFB AP Poll means for Alabama’s Playoff hopes

What does this week’s AP Poll suggest abut Alabama’s Playoff chances?

All of Alabama nation is still flying high from yesterday’s magical Iron Bowl victory over Auburn. Yet, the relief can’t last much longer as the season really starts next Saturday when the Crimson Tide take on the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship.

The Bulldogs ride into Atlanta on a 29-game winning streak that has included the past two national championships. Beating the Dawgs will certainly be no easy task, but this Alabama team continues to rise to the occasion. While one might assume that the win against that Georgia team would be enough to get the Tide into the Playoffs, the Week 14 AP Poll suggests that the Crimson Tide still needs some help even with a win against Georgia.

After rattling off ten straight wins to end the regular season, Alabama still finds themselves sitting at No. 8 in the rankings with only one week to go. As things currently stand the top eight is as follows: Georgia, Michigan, Washington, Florida State, Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Alabama. So, what is the Tide’s path to the Final Four?

A win against UGA would obviously be enough for Alabama to jump the Dawgs. Michigan has already eliminated the Buckeyes from the Playoff race so Alabama would jump OSU with the win. Washington and Oregon will face off in the Pac-12 title with the loser being eliminated from contention. If Florida State beats Louisville and Texas beats Oklahoma State we are very likely looking at 1. Michigan 2. Winner of Oregon/Washington 3. Florida State 4. Texas 5. Alabama.

Michigan and Florida State will 100% both be in the Playoffs if they win this weekend with undefeated resumes. I find it unlikely that Alabama will be able to jump Texas even with a win against UGA because the results on the field do have to matter even if it was Week 2.

So, the final spot will likely come down to Alabama vs. the winner of the Pac-12. If Washington wins the Pac-12 title they will finish the year an undefeated 13-0 and they’ll be in. If Oregon wins, they’ll have avenged their lone loss of the season making it tough to leave them out as well. Even though I think Alabama is clearly better than Texas, FSU or anyone in the Pac-12, I think they might be in a bad spot to jump anyone. Oregon, with no ranked wins prior to this weekend, being ranked higher than Alabama all season has never really made much sense to me and now it might really come back to haunt the Tide.

So, as Alabama fans we need ONE of three things to happen assuming Alabama wins. Louisville must beat Florida State, Iowa must beat Michigan or Oklahoma State must beat Texas. If I am being honest, I don’t love my chances with any of them but crazier things have happened.

IF, Alabama misses the Playoffs I think the College Football Playoff commitee has a major problem on their hands. Oregon’s out of conference schedule included Portland State, Texas Tech and Hawaii while Michigan played East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green. If you are Alabama, what’s the point of scheduling out of conference games like Texas if all that really matters is just a zero in the loss column?

I can also acknowlegde the SEC isn’t as strong as years past, but it’s still the best conference in the country. The SEC has more teams ranked than anyone else and that doesn’t even include teams like Tennessee and Texas A&M that would easily win divisions like the Big Ten West. How are we really going to leave the best conference in the country out of the Playoffs? Especially when Alabama will have been undefeated in that league with four wins against ranked opponents.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Alabama knocks off Auburn in one of the greatest Iron Bowls of all-time

Alabama knocks off Auburn 27-24 in an all-time instant classic

Wow. There are no words to summarize what we just saw.

Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line and 43 seconds to go, it seemed as if the 88th edition of the Iron Bowl had gotten away from Alabama. That was before the impossible happened as Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond in the back of the endzone for a jaw-dropping touchdown to give the Crimson Tide a 27-24 lead with just over half a minute to go.

It’s truly heartbreaking stuff for Auburn fans who also had their hearts ripped out by Bryce Young in a similar fashion in 2021.

The go-ahead score was set up by a brutal muffed punt by Auburn who just couldn’t get out of their own way in the final few minutes. Bond’s catch will go down as one of the greatest plays in Iron Bowl history.

It was a very frustrating afternoon in its entirety for Alabama. The Tide committed way too many mindless penalties, they couldn’t find an answer for Auburn’s rushing attack all afternoon and Jalen Milroe committed two illegal forward passes in the same game – something I have never seen in all of my years of watching football.

The madness and chaos in its entirety is what makes the Iron Bowl great though. Auburn entered the game coming off of arguably their most disappointing loss in program history as New Mexico State thumped them by 21 in Jordan-Hare while Alabama has looked like national title contenders for the past two months. Yet, the Tide were beyond fortunate to get out of the Plains today with a win.

It didn’t have to be pretty, and it wasn’t at all, but Alabama found a way to win. Now, they have to regroup as they head to Atlanta next weekend in a de facto Playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia. A thrilling victory like this against Auburn must be celebrated, but Nick Saban’s goal isn’t to beat Auburn, but to collect hardware.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.