Tag: Brian Battie

Damari Alston out indefinitely with shoulder injury

Auburn has lost another key player to injury.

[autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] has been ruled out indefinitely after dislocating his shoulder in Auburn’s 27-10 loss to Texas A&M, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] announced Monday.

“Damari will be out for a period of time, for sure,” Freeze said. “They’re doing some more tests today on that, but he had a dislocated shoulder for sure.”

He suffered the injury in the first quarter of the game when he caught a pitch from [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and was immediately hit by a Texas A&M defender. The sophomore went to the medical tent before going to the locker room and returning to the sideline in street clothes and a sling.

Freeze was unable to provide a timeline for when Alston could return to action.

Thankfully for Auburn, running back is probably the deepest position on the roster with Hunter, [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] also impressing at times this season.

Auburn will return to action Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT when they host the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Top plays from Auburn’s 27-10 loss to Texas A&M

The Auburn Tigers lost its first game of the season in week four. Still, there were plays that deserved recognition.

The Auburn Tigers dropped their first game of the season on Saturday in embarrassing fashion, losing to conference rival Texas A&M 27-10.

The Tigers offense sputtered, as starting quarterback Payton Thorne threw for only 44 yards before being benched in the third quarter in favor of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag].

The running game was adequate, but no one could really get anything going besides Junior running back [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag], who accounted for over 25% of Auburn’s total offensive output.

The defense continued their solid play however, as they not only scored the Tiger’s lone touchdown but also held A&M to 193 pass yards and 27 points.

Both of those numbers are well below the Aggies season averages of 301 and 40, respectively.

Despite the ugly effort Auburn did have some plays that are worth mentioning.

Here are the top four.

Tigers of the Game: Asante, Battie carry the load on Saturday

Auburn suffered a tough loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, but several bright spots include the play of Eugene Asante and Brian Battie.

The SEC opener at Texas A&M was anything but strong for the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn managed to gain just 200 yards of offense while allowing Texas A&M to post 402 yards in their 27-10 loss. Auburn could not force a turnover, they allowed seven sacks to happen, and they were penalized 10 times.

Despite the negativity, there were several bright spots to mention, including the performances of two players, [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag].

Following the game, Auburn Wire writers as well as Auburn fans revealed their picks for “Tiger of the Game” after the tough loss, here are the results.

Auburn’s running backs struggle against Samford

Auburn’s running backs had a rough game against Samford.

Auburn was able to pick up the 45-13 win over Samford Saturday night in a soldout Jordan-Hare Stadium. While the Tigers were able to get their passing attack going for the first time this season, their running backs went silent.

The foursome of [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] managed just 3.1 yards per carry against a Samford defense that allowed 284 yards on the ground to Western Carolina last week.

The group did not manage a single explosive run, their longest run of the night went for nine yards. Hunter led the group with 37 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries.

“I thought we left some yards out there in the rushing game, particularly in the first half,” Hugh Freeze said after the game. “I thought the backs didn’t press it enough. The second half, I thought they were better. I like all those guys. We left some yards out there”

He pointed out Samford was focused on stopping the run and that allowed Auburn to have more success throwing the ball.

“They wanted to stop the run and played an odd front with both safeties, they were really active in the box, thus the explosive plays (through the air).”

Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was Auburn’s most effective runner, rushing for a career-high 123 yards and two touchdowns, making Auburn’s rushing numbers look much better.

The running backs rarely had room to operate as Auburn’s offensive line was unable to generate any push against the Samford defensive front. Their inability to run the ball proved costly in key situations.

Auburn went for it on 4th-and-2 in Samford’s red zone early in the second quarter but Alston was met in the backfield by the Samford defense and Auburn turned it over on downs, costing them points.

The running back room entered the season as the unquestioned strength of the offense but they have now struggled in back-to-back weeks and now face several questions, as does the offensive line’s ability to block for them.

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Photo Gallery: Auburn Football cruises in season opener vs. UMass

Here are the best images from Auburn’s 59-14 season-opening win over UMass.

The [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] era started off with a bang in week one, as the Auburn Tigers dismantled the UMass Minutemen, 59-14.

Led by[autotag] Payton Thorne’s[/autotag] arm and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag]’s legs, the Auburn offense had its way with the UMass defense. The Tigers found pay-dirt eight times, collecting 494 total yards in the process.

Here are some of the best photos from the high-scoring opener in Jordan-Hare.

 

Instant Analysis: The Freeze era debuts with dominating win over UMass

Auburn cruises to a 59-14 win over the UMass Minutemen to begin the season, 1-0.

The Hugh Freeze era has gotten off to an incredible start, as he has led the Auburn Tigers to a gigantic win to kick off the 2023 season.

Auburn (1-0) outgains UMass (1-1) 495-301 in the yards department, including a 289-140 discrepancy in the run game to win, 59-14.

The Tigers took a 17-7 lead into the second quarter but would proceed to score 21 points in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters to pull away from the Minutemen in the season-opener.

Auburn got on the board first at the 11:28 mark in the first quarter. USF transfer [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag] returned the opening kick to the Auburn 38-yard line from seven yards deep in the endzone. The drive ended with a two-yard rush by [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], capping off an 11-play, 62-yard drive.

In the Tigers’ first drive, quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] completed 1-of-3 passes for nine yards and rushed for 16 more. Alston rushed for 25 yards and Battie gained nine yards on one carry.

The Minutemen answered on the ensuing drive by tying the game at 7-7 with 7:20 remaining in the quarter. UMass quarterback Taisun Phommachanh scored on a 1-yard rush to close out an 8-play, 89-yard drive. Phommachanh rushed for 50 yards on the drive, while Kay’ron Lynch-Adams rushed for 26 yards.

The Tigers’ second drive would see the season debut of Robby Ashford, who subbed in at quarterback for three plays, where he completed a pass for four yards and rushed for eight more. The drive would stall out, however, as Auburn was forced to kick a field goal. [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag]’s 37-yard attempt was true, thus extending Auburn’s lead to 10-7 with 2:11 remaining in the first quarter.

After forcing UMass to punt, returner [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] set Auburn up in a great field position with a 56-yard return to the UMass 16-yard line. The drive was short-lived, as Ashford checked into the game to score on the opening play of the 2nd quarter on a 10-yard rush to extend Auburn’s lead to 17-7.

Ashford’s momentum carried into the next drive. He entered the game on the final three plays of Auburn’s next possession and rushed one yard into the endzone for his second score of the game to advance Auburn’s lead to 24-7 with 10:11 in the first half.

His third score of the game would come in the Tigers’ next possession. Auburn increased its lead to 31-7 thanks to a four-yard rush by Ashford to cap a five-play, 35-yard drive.

The Tigers ended the first half with 237 net yards. Thorne completed 9-of-16 passes for 112 yards. Ashford rushed for 36 yards on six carries, scoring three times. Auburn’s leading rusher was Alston, who carried the ball eight times for 43 yards. [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] reeled in four catches for 27 yards, while [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] led in overall receiving yards with 41 yards on two catches.

Defensively, [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] led the way with five tackles. [autotag]Donovan Kaufman[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag], and [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] each recorded a sack while Asante and freshman [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] teamed up to record another.

The second half began with a bang as [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] picked off Phommachanh on the second play of the third quarter. Simpson returned the interception 50 yards for a Tigers touchdown, increasing Auburn’s lead to 38-7 with 14:43 remaining in the quarter.

Auburn quickly scored on its first true possession in the second half. The Tigers needed just one play and 10 seconds for Thorne to connect with Fair from 29 yards out for the first touchdown pass of his Auburn career to move the lead to 45-7.

Freshman [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] broke onto the scene later in the quarter by taking his second-ever college carry 42 yards for an Auburn touchdown to move the lead to 52-7 with 5:25 in the third.

Two of Auburn’s three touchdowns in the third quarter lasted just one play. Auburn ran just six plays in the quarter.

UMass got off one final punch in the 4th quarter. Minutemen quarterback Carlos Davis connected with Anthony Simpson for 58 yards to cut into Auburn’s lead, 52-14, with 8:50 remaining in the game.

[autotag]Sean Jackson[/autotag] became the fourth rusher to put points on the board. His 45-yard rush with 7:02 to go in the game pushed Auburn’s lead to 59-14.

The Tigers (1-0) will make the trip out west next weekend to face Cal at California Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN.

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Luke Deal is excited about Auburn running the ball

Auburn tight end Luke Deal is a believer in Auburn’s running game.

Auburn’s running backs have had a great offseason and are expected to be a strength of the offense, however, their success has some wondering if they are that good or if Auburn’s run defense needs improvement.

“We’ll find out more Saturday.” [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] said Monday. Are we effective running the football kind of team against other opponents or has our defense made us look that good? I think when you start getting into a game week and start game planning and you figure out that this is what we’re going to try to do, hopefully we’ll be in the right spots and play well on both sides. That’s the hope.”

Senior tight end [autotag]Luke Deal[/autotag] is confident that Auburn’s running backs are just that good and that Auburn will have success running the ball this year.

“I think our running game is really good. I think you guys have seen it, even in the past. There are some familiar names in that running back room who have done some really great things at Auburn so far. Jarquez (Hunter) is an incredible back, that entire room, Damari (Alston), Sean (Jackson), even Jeremiah (Cobb), a young guy coming up, (Brian) Battie all those guys are really really good players.

“We’ve got such a talented room that I would lean on the side that we have a really good run game and we’ve seen production in the past. I’m excited to see how that works out against another defense.”

“Hopefully, our defense stops that run too against UMass.”

Auburn’s five running backs each bring something different but together they give Auburn a deep and talented rotation that should be able to keep all of them fresh during the game. They are also set to benefit from Auburn’s reworked offensive line, which has three transfers set to start.

UMass has already played one game on the season, a 41-30 win over New Mexico State, and struggled to stop the run. The Minutemen allowed 222 yards and one touchdown on the ground as the Aggies rushed for 5.8 yards per carry.

Auburn will look to enjoy similar success when they face UMass on Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game is set to start at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be on ESPN.

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Former Auburn RB projects a monster season from Jarquez Hunter

Can Jarquez Hunter become the most productive back that Hugh Freeze has ever coached?

After two seasons of learning under [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] is set to become Auburn’s feature back.

The problem (even if it is a great one) is that Auburn will have a stout running back room with Hunter, [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag]. Despite having to compete for carries, one former Auburn running back forecasts a great season ahead for RB1.

“You can tell he’s hungry for this season,” Brad Lester said in an interview with AL.com. “Last year he just had to play the role behind Tank, but now that Tank is gone, he gets his opportunity.”

Freeze’s production, historically, has come primarily from the air. In his ten years as a head coach, Freeze has only coached one back who has rushed for over 1,000 yards. As he steps into a program that is historically known for producing great running backs, he may lead his first running back to a 1,500-yard season.

“That’s something that’s more than attainable, especially with Coach (Hugh) Freeze,” Lester said. “When people talk about Coach Freeze, they talk about throwing the football. But from what I’ve seen in the past years when he has solid running backs, he really likes to establish the run game.”

Hunter enters the 2023 season with 1,261 yards and 10 touchdowns in two seasons at Auburn.

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Damari Alston discusses ‘different’ approach to season

Alston has big dreams, and he has a set of plans that will get him there.

Although Auburn’s running back situation has become more clear with the return of Jarquez Hunter to the roster, that has not hindered the overall goals of [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag].

Alston rushed for 85 yards on 14 carries during his freshman season in 2022 and hopes to become a bigger factor in the run game this season.

“I want to have a good rushing season. My goal is 1,000 yards. I want to do well in the receiving game as well,” Alston said this week. “I want to do anything I can do to take the team to an SEC Championship, and I want to win big games so we can bring Auburn to how it was.”

Alston will compete with Hunter, as well as USF transfer [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag], for touches this season. Hunter is expected to be the premier back after taking on the backseat role to [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] over the last two seasons. Battie is a key returner but rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. In order to stand out, Alston is changing up his approach to the game.

“My mentality coming into this next season. The offseason, I have to be different if I’m going to reach my goals,” Alston said. “I have to do things that other people aren’t doing. I have to take the next step. I’m doing what’s required, but I’m doing extra. That’s how I roll. I have to be different. I want to go to the league, be great in the league. That takes a next-level drive. That’s how I approach this offseason.”

The Tigers’ running back crew will be the most experienced unit on offense heading into the season and will be relied upon heavily.

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Jarquez Hunter makes fall camp debut

Hunter made his first appearance of the fall on Auburn’s fifth day of camp.

A key piece to Auburn’s offense made his fall debut on Tuesday.

According to a report by Nathan King of Auburn Undercover, junior running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] worked out with the team Tuesday during the fifth day of fall camp. According to King, he took reps with the first-team offense.

Hunter has been absent from team activities since May due to a University investigation. Because of this, head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has not been able to discuss the matters of the investigation publicly.

For the time being, Hunter is set to be a part of a solid unit of running backs. Hunter was used as the secondary back behind Tank Bigsby for the last two seasons, and he would rush for 1,261 yards and 10 touchdowns. Hunter, along with [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], will lead the running backs unit this season.

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