Tag: Austin Keys

First half highlights: The Iron Bowl is tight through one half

Auburn is trailing No. 8 Alabama at the break at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Here are the plays that defined the Tigers’ first half play.

The first half of the 88th Iron Bowl is complete, and there is a fun finish brewing at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide leads Auburn at the break, 17-14 thanks to a few late scores in the 2nd quarter. Auburn’s Ja’varrius Johnson scored with 2:24 remaining in the half on a reverse play that was set up by a 56-yard rush from running back [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] on the previous play. Three plays later, Alabama took the lead back on a 68-yard pass from Jalen Milroe to Jermaine Burton with 1:33 to go in the first half.

The Tigers ended with 201 total yards after being able to gain just 74 in the 1st quarter, all on the ground. Hunter and Alston combined to rush for 153 of Auburn’s 181 rushing yards while [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] completed just 2-of-10 passes for 20 yards. Defensively, [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] lead in tackles with four each.

Here are the plays that defined the first half between Auburn and Alabama.

Auburn makes one change to depth chart for game against Arkansas

The Tigers made just one change to the depth chart from last week.

Auburn is looking to pick up its third straight win and its second on the road when they face the Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday.

The Tigers announced their depth chart for the game on Monday and there was just one change from last week’s edition, [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] is now listed as the only starter at middle linebacker. He was listed as a co-starter with [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] last week as he returned from injury.

Keys started and played 42 snaps in Auburn’s win over Vanderbilt, making three tackles, one sack and forcing one fumble. Nixon played 22 snaps and did not record a stat.

Here is a look at Auburn’s full depth chart.

Auburn shakes up depth chart for Week 9 matchup with Mississippi State

Austin Keys and Keionte Scott are back as starters after returning last week from injury.

Auburn returned two starters on defense last week and they are now back in the starting lineup ahead of Auburn’s Week 9 game against Mississippi State.

[autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] missed three games after undergoing ankle surgery but couldn’t be kept off the field against Ole Miss. He played 71 snaps and made five tackles and defended two passes and is back as the starting star cornerback.

Middle linebacker [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] also made his return after missing five games, playing 26 snaps and making four tackles. He and [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] are both listed as the starting middle linebacker for Mississippi State, separated by an OR

There was another change along the defense with [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] now listed as the starting nose tackle after backing up [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag] all season, Jones is now the backup.

Rogers actually started against Ole Miss and played a season-high 42 snaps. He made the most of his opportunity, making four tackles, including one for a loss.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and Co. also tweaked the offensive depth chart, [autotag]Jeremiah Wright[/autotag] is now listed as a backup right guard with [autotag]Jalil Irvin[/autotag]. Wright was previously listed as the backup right tackle but has been replaced by [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag].

Here is a look at the complete depth chart.

Hugh Freeze provides injury update ahead of Auburn’s game against LSU

Hugh Freeze provided an injury report ahead of Auburn’s matchup with LSU.

Auburn had an extra week to get healthy ahead of their game against LSU but they are still pretty banged up [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] revealed Monday.

Starting linebacker [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] and nickel cornerback [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] are both still out for the “foreseeable future.” He also reiterated that starting defensive end [autotag]Mosiah Nisili-Kite[/autotag] is done for the season.

He did provide positive news about starting safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] who he expects to return.

“He’s day-to-day and said he’s feeling better each day, so I’m hopeful and expecting that he will go.”

Switching to the offensive side of the ball, running back [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] is doubtful, wide receiver [autotag]Malcolm Johnson[/autotag] is day-to-day and [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] is questionable with an elbow injury.

“So, that’s where we are,” Freeze said. “It’s the next man up, and we’ve got to get some of these younger kids to play more consistently. We worked on that hard last week in the open week. They got a ton of reps, because we’re going to need them before this season is over, with the remaining seven games we have.”

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Auburn DE Mosiah Nasili-Kite out for season with torn bicep

The veteran appeared in every game before suffering the injury against Georgia.

Auburn’s defense has lost yet another starter to injury, and this time it’s for the rest of the season.

Starting defensive end [autotag]Mosiah Nasili-Kite[/autotag] suffered a torn bicep in Auburn’s game against Georgia and will miss the rest of the 2023 season [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] announced Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, we lost Mosiah for the year,” Freeze said. “That’s really going to hurt us in the defensive line.”

Nasili-Kite played in all five games this season, making 10 tackles, 0.5 for loss and two quarterback hurries. True freshman [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] has emerged as his backup and will likely see a larger role moving forward.

Auburn is dealing with a rash of injuries and is hoping to use its bye week to get healthy ahead of next week’s game against LSU. On the offensive side of the ball, running back [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] is recovering from a separated shoulder and wide receiver [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] is battling a hamstring injury.

Defensively, safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] left the Georgia game with a calf injury, defensive back [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] is recovering from surgery to address a high ankle sprain and middle linebacker [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] is still weeks away from returning after breaking his thumb.

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Auburn tweaks depth chart ahead of matchup with Samford

Auburn’s coaching staff has made several changes to the depth chart.

For the first time this season, Auburn has made some changes to its depth chart. The Tigers revealed their depth chart for their Week 3 game against Samford on Monday and there have been several changes on the defensive side of the ball.

The first is that starting middle linebacker [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] has been removed from it. This is no surprise after it was announced that he had surgery for a thumb injury and is out indefinitely, [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] has been elevated to the starter in his absence.

There has also been a change at weakside linebacker but this one is due to the breakout of [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag]. He was one of Auburn’s top players last week and led the Tigers with 12 tackles and is now listed as the starter.

The next change is at jack, where [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] is now listed as the starter. McLeod was held out in Week 1 as he recovered from an injury but was on the field for 57 snaps and made three tackles in Auburn’s victory over Cal.

Here is a look at the full depth chart ahead of their game against Samford Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Brian’s Column: Auburn needs its linebackers to play better in week two

The Auburn Tigers run defense struggled in week one. This week they go up against a Cal team that had 357 rushing yards a week ago.

The Auburn Tigers are coming off a great 59-14 win over UMass in their home opener last Saturday. The offense was efficient, the special teams nearly broke multiple returns, and the defense was solid enough.

That defense relied heavily on their talent and size against the UMass Minutemen. While that worked against an inferior team, Auburn’s defense, specifically the linebackers, is going to have to play more fundamentally sound football if they hope to move to 2-0 after the dust settles on Saturday.

That means the quintet of [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Levant[/autotag], [autotag]Robert Woodyard Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag], and [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] are going to have to step up against a Cal running attack that just gashed North Texas for 357 yards on the ground.

So what went so wrong for this group in week one and how do they fix it?

It all starts with knowing and staying with your assignments in order to avoid runs like this.

This run by UMass quarterback [autotag]Taisun Phommachanh[/autotag] is one of those plays Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts will want to show to his team once and then burn.

The minutemen run a simple counter. Defensive end #33 [autotag]Mosiah Nasili-Kite[/autotag] gets sucked into the misdirection, creating a need for the filling linebacker, #13 [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag], to keep outside contain.

Instead of doing that, Riley shoots the c-gap, leaving him in no man’s land next to Nasili-Kite.

That leaves cornerback [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] out on an island with Phommachanh, a matchup which the UMass quarterback wins with ease. From there, bad angles by the aforementioned Riley and weakside linebacker, #6 [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag], allow Phommachanh to rumble for 31 yards.

Being out of position was a common theme for Auburn’s linebackers, even on simple play designs.

UMass runs a simple inside concept here, with the offensive line blocking straight up before the left guard comes off his double to the second level.

Again, [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] shoots the wrong gap, taking himself out of the play almost immediately.

Austin Keys is late to recognize the run, allowing UMass guard Marcellus Anderson to serve him up a fresh pancake. After Keys goes to the ground, Auburn is left with nobody on the outside, allowing running back [autotag]Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams[/autotag] to pick up a long gain.

Key’s and Riley weren’t the only Auburn linebackers that struggled in the opener.

The Tigers lose contain again on this run play, as [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] cheats too far inside, allowing [autotag]Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams[/autotag] to bounce his run outside for another large gain.

Again, the job of containment is passed on to a member of the secondary. Although cornerback [autotag]D.J James[/autotag] is a good tackler for his position and makes a nice read, he takes a bad angle and Lynch-Adams has an easy first down.

Bad reads, blown assignments, and missed tackles simply cannot happen often against a good Cal rushing attack. Auburn can’t rely on it’s speed to make up mistakes, as Cal running back [autotag]Jaydn Ott[/autotag] may be the best player on the field on Saturday.

The key for Auburn to win this game is simple.

The run defense just has to be decent enough to hold Cal to one or two big plays. If Jaydn Ott has green grass in front of him, he’s going to back up his trash talk and make the Tigers pay.

Saturday’s game should be a ton of fun, and it kicks off at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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‘A name doesn’t mean anything.’ Cal running back Jaydn Ott throws shade at Auburn

The talented running back from Cal has provided his opponent with bulletin board material ahead of Saturday’s game.

The Auburn Tigers just received some bulletin board material ahead of Saturday’s matchup with 1-0 Cal.

Golden Bears running back [autotag]Jaydn Ott[/autotag] spoke to members of the media on Wednesday, making sure to let everyone know he is not afraid of Auburn.

“There’s a lot of focus on the name Auburn. But what I see on film is not really in comparison to what their name is,” Ott said Wednesday. “I just want to get that into my guys’ heads that a name doesn’t mean anything.”

Ott, who rushed for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns in Cal’s opener against North Texas, obviously sees holes in an Auburn defense that struggled to stop the run in 2022 and was only able to hold UMass to 5.5 YPG a week ago.

The Tigers defense also took a hit this week, and possibly longer, with MLB [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag] injuring his thumb in last week’s game. Key’s figured to play a large role in Auburn’s defensive front seven this year, but will be “out for a while” according to head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

Ott’s words ultimately ring semi-true in the sense that Auburn was not close to the best version of themselves over the last few seasons. The often-feared Tigers played more like house cats under [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]. The film, and the record, reflect that.

Still, Auburn has been in the midst of finding its identity under [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], creating hype around the program once again. Quotes like this from opposing players are one surefire way to jumpstart a team coming together as one.

There is little doubt that Freeze and Co. will use Ott’s words to light a fire under this new-look Auburn team.

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Austin Keys to miss Saturday’s game at California due to thumb injury

The Ole Miss transfer saw limited action in Auburn’s opener, and will miss an undetermined amount of time going forward.

One of the most exciting transfers that Auburn landed last offseason was [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag], a linebacker from Ole Miss.

Keys, who made 51 tackles in two seasons at Ole Miss, was expected to be a vital piece to Auburn’s linebacking corps this season. However, he was only able to play 18 snaps in Auburn’s season-opening victory over UMass last Saturday.

It appears that he will see less time on the field over the next several weeks. During the SEC teleconference on Wednesday, head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] told reporters that Keys underwent surgery following last Saturday’s game to repair an injured thumb and that he would “be out a while.”

Outside of Keys, four linebackers recorded 10 or more snaps last Saturday. [autotag]Larry Nixon III[/autotag] led the way with 23, followed by [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag]’s 20.

Several players that missed last week’s game such as [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]JD Rhym[/autotag], and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] all dressed out for Wednesday’s practice according to Justin Ferguson of the Auburn Observer.

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Auburn vs UMass: Tale of the Tape

Auburn enters Saturday’s game with UMass as major favorites, but how do they stack up against the underdogs?

The college football season finally kicks off for Auburn on Saturday against 1-0 UMass. The Minutemen are coming off an excellent performance on the road vs. New Mexico State, winning 41-30 on the back of great play from Clemson transfer quarterback [autotag]Taisun Phommachanh[/autotag] and a stout showing from their defensive line.

While the Minutemen surely have momentum coming into this game, there is a reason BetMGM has them as 35.5-point underdogs against the Tigers in Jordan-Hare. The talent gap is wide, but do the direct comparisons support the overwhelming idea this game will be a blowout?

Most football teams’ success is contingent on the play of their quarterback, and both of these teams have a good one.

The aforementioned [autotag]Taisun Phommachanh[/autotag] had an efficient, well-rounded, performance in week one. Phommachanh completed 10 of his 17 passes for 192 yards and was also his team’s leading rusher, compiling 96 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

Still, it’s hard not to give the edge to Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] here. Although he does not nearly pose the threat on the ground that Phommachanh does (He had 270 rushing yards in three seasons at Michigan State), Thorne is clearly the more established passer.

Over three seasons for the Spartans, Thorne racked up 6,501 passing yards to go along with 49 touchdowns.

Phommachanh on the other hand, played sparingly for Clemson and Georgia Tech before transferring this season. The UMass QB has only thrown 70 passes in four-plus years, completing 34 of them for 409 yards and one touchdown.

The Quarterback edge clearly goes to [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and Auburn.

Experience gives the Tigers the edge in the quarterback battle, and the same goes when looking at the running backs as well.

Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] is expected by many, including myself, to have a monster season for the Tigers. The junior has averaged a magnificent 6.5 YPC over the past two years, rushing for 1,261 yards and 10 touchdowns on 193 career carries.

Conversely, UMass starter [autotag]Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams[/autotag] came into the season with only 206 carries for 731 yards in four seasons at Rutgers and UMass. Lynch-Adams had a very nice game in his team’s opener last weekend, rushing for 79 yards and scoring twice. Still, Auburn’s All-SEC third-team back has the clear edge here.

As for the final skill position group on offense, the wide receivers, it is hard to gauge which team has the upper hand, at least for now. UMass ran the ball more than twice as much as they threw it in week one, leaving some mystery as to how explosive their pass catcher can be.

Auburn’s receiving core also has a great deal of mystery heading into the season. The team is starting two transfers at the X and Z positions, [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] and [autotag]Jyaire Shorter[/autotag], respectively. Although both have had great camps, it is hard to tell how either will adjust to a talented SEC after transferring from smaller schools.

It is too early to give either team an edge in this department.

The one area on the field where the huge underdogs could give Auburn a run for their money is the defensive front. The Minutemen front seven wreaked havoc against the New Mexico State offensive line in week one, sacking New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia three times.

Auburn’s defensive line has struggled in recent years, particularly against the run. This year’s down lineman rotation features three transfers, [autotag]Mosiah Nasili-Kite[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag], and [autotag]Lawrence Johnson[/autotag], as well as freshmen, [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag].

The Tigers are also starting two transfers at the linebacker spots in jack [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] and MLB [autotag]Austin Keys[/autotag].

It may take some time for these new Tigers to get their footing, and that could lead to some early gaping holes for a UMass team that has made it clear they want to run the ball.

I’m giving the ever-so-slight edge to UMass in this category just because of the unknown surrounding Auburn’s front seven.

Despite the surpassingly close comparisons across the defensive front and receiver groups, Auburn still has the clear edge as a team in their home opener. They will attempt to show the Jordan-Hare crowd that edge when the teams kick off at 2:30 CST on Saturday.

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