Cam Coleman – Syndication Server

Cam Coleman made the most of his opportunities in win over ULM

Coleman set several personal records on Saturday, leading Auburn to a 48-14 win over ULM.

Freshman wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] signed with Auburn in hopes of becoming the top target for Tiger quarterbacks. However, he has been unable to produce top target-caliber numbers.

That changed Saturday in Auburn’s 48-14 win over ULM at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Coleman shattered his personal records in the game by hauling in eight catches for 100 yards and three scores. Before Saturday’s game, Coleman had not caught more than four passes for over 82 yards and had scored just twice.

After the game, Coleman told the media that he was thankful to be in position to make several plays in the win.

“It felt good because every opportunity I get, I’m going to make the best of it,” Coleman said postgame. “So, every opportunity that came my way, I was just making the best of it because there’s no telling when the ball is going to come back to you. You’ve got to make the best of every opportunity.”

Coleman’s production impressed several of his teammates as well, including quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]. Three of Thorne’s five touchdown passes went to Coleman, which has built confidence between the two. Thorne complemented Coleman’s big day, and expects even greater feats from him in the future.

“He did a really good job today. He only needed one hand (to score his final touchdown), so that was sweet,” Thorne said. “He is a great athlete, and it’s fun playing with him. These young guys have a long career ahead of them. I’m sure he will keep working. That is all he does, so more and more of those plays will show up for him.”

After the performance, Coleman has now reeled in 23 passes for 392 yards and five scores. He is third on the team in yards behind [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] (761) and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] (412), and trails just Lambert-Smith (8) in touchdown receptions.

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In photos: Auburn tops ULM to earn fourth win of season

Take a look at the best photos from Auburn’s memorable win over ULM on Saturday.

Auburn football earned its fourth win of the season on Saturday, taking down ULM 48-14 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

Auburn played an efficient game by gaining 507 yards and committing zero penalties. The Tigers also converted 26 first downs while going 12-of-17 on third-down opportunities.

The win will end on a historic game as several players have reached personal records. Running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] became the first player since [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] in 2021 to get the 1,000-yard mark in rushing after earning 102 yards on 14 carries. He now has 1,015 yards on the season.

Wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] had the best game of his young career by making eight catches for 100 yards and three scores, all personal highs. Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] also logged five touchdown passes, the highest of his career.

Saturday’s win was impressive. Here is a look back at the best images from Auburn’s 48-14 win over ULM on Saturday.

Instant analysis: Cam Coleman, Auburn dominates ULM to return to win column

The freshman receiver logs 100 yards and three touchdowns in Auburn’s record-setting win over ULM.

Auburn football fans have waited all season for a breakout game from freshman wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. On Saturday, it finally occurred.

Coleman broke several season highs on Saturday by logging eight catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns in Auburn’s 48-14 win over ULM on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, Coleman’s best game was a three-catch, 82-yard game vs. Oklahoma in September. He reeled in four catches in Auburn’s win over Kentucky on Oct. 26 and had recorded just two touchdown receptions. He blew past those numbers on Saturday to headline a record-breaking day for several Tigers.

In addition to Coleman’s epic day, Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career after rushing for 102 yards on 14 carries. Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] also tossed five touchdown passes, which ties a single-game program record.

Auburn dominated ULM in several categories in the first half, including yards, first downs, red zone opportunities, and tackles for loss. The Tigers out-gained ULM 292-70 through the first 30 minutes, which included a 188-yard passing effort from Thorne. Thorne completed 16-of-24 passes with just under 50% of his completions to Coleman, who logged seven catches for 78 yards and two scores.

Auburn ended the day with 507 total yards, including 304 yards through the air. On the otherside, Auburn’s defense allowed ULM to gain just 218 yards and held them to 2-of-12 on third down opportunities.

The Tigers took control of the scoreboard early in the 1st quarter when Thorne connected with Coleman for a 20-yard touchdown reception with 10:57 remaining. Following a field goal from Birmingham Southern transfer [autotag]Ian Vachon[/autotag] with 5:21 in the 1st quarter to extend Auburn’s lead to 10-0, the pair teamed up again for a three-yard touchdown pass at the 7:44 mark in the 2nd quarter to put Auburn ahead, 17-0.

The final score of the first half occurred with 0:06 to go in the 2nd quarter when Thorne found [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] for a 30-yard touchdown reception to push Auburn to a 24-0 halftime lead.

ULM started the 3rd quarter by finding the scoreboard on a one-yard rush by running back Ahmad Hardy at the 8:09 mark. However, their momentum was quickly taken away as the Tigers scored twice to close out the quarter. Thorne connected with Coleman for the third time with 4:37 to go in the 3rd quarter and later found fellow freshman receiver [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] for a 40-yard score to give Auburn a 38-7 entering the 4th quarter.

Auburn added two more scores to cap their scoring. Damari Alston rushed for a score from seven-yards out to give Auburn the 45-7 lead with 11:48 to go in the quarter. Vachon connected on his second field goal of the day to give Auburn the 48-7 lead with 1:48 to go in the game. ULM capped scoring with less than 10 seconds remaining when Warhawks QB General Booty found Jonathan Bibbs for a 65-yard touchdown pass to cut into Auburn’s lead, 48-14.

Auburn will host No. 14 Texas A&M next Saturday to close out its home schedule for the 2024 season. The official game time and network will be announced following the conclusion of Saturday’s college football action.

What did we learn from Auburn’s loss to Missouri?

We learned plenty from Auburn’s most recent loss to Missouri.

The Auburn Tigers came off of their bye week with high expectations of improvement, heading into the back half of their schedule with a losing record and many sour tastes of defeat.

That luck did not change, however, as the Tigers saw yet another second half lead slip away late in the game in Saturday’s 21-17 loss to Missouri on Faurot Field. The loss dropped [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad to 2-5 on the season and 0-4 in SEC play.

The trend of this game was the same as that of many others, where the defense gave the team a chance to win all day, but the offense could not execute when it mattered most.

Here is what we learned about Auburn after the loss.

One thing is for sure, the ball needs to get out of hands quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] a lot sooner and more often than it has been.

Thorne went 17 for 29, passing for just 179 yards and one touchdown in Columbia, with that score coming on a 47-yard deep ball to [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. Thorne did take three sacks though, not being able to get the ball out in time when under pressure.

His other issue: he committed a turnover for the first time in a while. On a quarterback scramble in the second quarter, Thorne was gaining good yardage before taking contact and fumbling the ball, something that was crucial as the offense was driving down the field. He must protect the ball and give his offense more of a chance as it begins to move the ball.

The rushing game also lacked, only putting up 110 yards on the day as Missouri’s defense came on strong against Auburn’s offensive line throughout the entire game. This has been a struggle at times during the year, but Saturday was one of the more severe instances.

On the receiving end, this team needs to get Coleman the ball when it can, as he is not being targeted very often. In fact, his touchdown catch was his only reception of the day, signifying his lack of production.

It is also no secret that [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag]’ dropped touchdown pass in the third quarter was detrimental to the team, as it ultimately led to another missed field goal by [autotag]Towns McGough[/autotag] and gave the Missouri offense momentum.

The defense played solid for much of the game, racking up five sacks on the day and finding itself in Missouri’s backfield on a consistent basis. One 78-yard pass from Brady Cook was all Missouri needed though, proving to be a large turning point in the game and one that Auburn could have easily prevented on a late-down situation.

The special teams woes continue for McGough as well, as the young freshman kicker missed a field goal in the third quarter from 30 yards out and moved to 5 for 10 on the season.

The Tigers take the road for the final time in the month of October this week with a trip to Lexington and a date with the Kentucky Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Auburn blows comfortable 2nd half lead, drops road contest at No. 16 Missouri

Auburn falls to 0-4 in SEC play after allowing a 17-3 lead to squander away.

The Auburn Tigers had a chance to claim its first SEC win of the season on Saturday, but hope faded in the game’s final minute.

After taking a 3-3 tie into halftime, Auburn scored two quick touchdowns in the 3rd quarter to take a convincing 17-3 lead over the home-standing Tigers. However, a four-yard touchdown rush from Missouri running back Jamal Roberts with 0:46 remaining in the game erased their 14-point deficit to claim the 21-17 win over Auburn on Saturday at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

Momentum began to swing in Auburn’s favor at the 13:55 mark in the 3rd quarter when Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] exited the game after taking a tough hit. He returned one play later and delivered a 47-yard pass to [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] to give Auburn the 10-3 lead with 12:34 to go in the quarter.

Both teams traded a possession each before Auburn earned its next score. The Missouri defense forced Auburn to punt following a three-and-out. Missouri returner Luther Burden III fielded the punt at the 15-yard line, but ultimately fumbled with Auburn’s [autotag]Antonio Kite[/autotag] recovering in the end zone to extend its lead to 17-3 with 11:08 remaining in the quarter.

Missouri added a field goal to cut the Auburn lead to 17-6 to end the 3rd quarter, but became a threat in the early stages of the 4th quarter. Missouri running back Marcus Carroll found the end zone from two yards away with 14:57 remaining in the game, with a successful two-point try putting Missouri within three points, 17-14. Missouri punted on its ensuing two possessions before Roberts closed a 17-play, 95-yard drive with the go-ahead score.

The first half was virtually uneventful as both teams traded field goals to take a 3-3 tie into the locker room at halftime. Missouri’s Blake Craig put Missouri on the board with a 51-yard field goal at the 8:24 mark in the 1st quarter, with Auburn’s [autotag]Towns McGough[/autotag] answering at the 11:12 mark in the 2nd quarter.

Four of Auburn’s five offensive drives in the first half lasted fewer than seven plays and totaled 59 yards. Auburn’s lone scoring drive covered 64 yards on 11 plays and resulted in three points. After allowing Missouri to score on its initial drive that covered 41 yards in 12 plays, Auburn’s defense did not allow Missouri to piece together a drive lasting longer than six plays, with its longest drive covering 33 yards.

Missouri held the edge in the rushing department, out-gaining Auburn, 353-286. The home-standing Tigers also committed four fewer penalties than Auburn and held the ball for five fewer minutes than Auburn.

Auburn’s hunt for its first SEC win continues next Saturday on the road at Kentucky. Kickoff from Kroger Field in Lexington is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT on Oct. 26 on SEC Network.

Two Tigers named Mid-season Freshmen All-Americans by On3

Auburn has used plenty of freshmen on the field this season, and these two have caught the eye of a national publication

Auburn football has relied heavily on freshmen through six games. Two of those newcomers were recently recognized by On3.

Charles Power, On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings, recently dropped his picks for the Midseason Freshmen All-American Team and included two Tiger defenders, defensive lineman [autotag]Malik Blocton[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Kaleb Harris[/autotag].

Blocton, a freshman from Pike Road, has registered seven tackles through six games with one sack. Outside of true tackles, Blocton has become a threat to opposing quarterbacks in his short time on the Plains. According to Pro Football Focus data, Blocton has created five pressures, four being registered as quarterback hurries. In Auburn’s most recent game at Georgia, Blocton graded out at 78.8 overall and 80.6 in rush defense.

Harris is the team’s best tackler according to PFF. The freshman from Alabaster grades at 90.1 in the category and is No. 2 in coverage with 77.8 as opposing receivers have caught just three of nine passes when guarded by Harris. He has accumulated 15 tackles to this point of the season and has swatted four passes.

Blocton and Harris have earned their place on Power’s midseason team, but several others missed an opportunity to also earn the honor.

Freshmen receivers [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] are No. 2 and No. 3 in receiving for the Tigers with a combined statline of 27 catches for 472 yards and three scores. Cornerback [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] has also had a great start to his collegiate career by making six tackles and holding opposing receivers to a 33.3% catch rate.

Watch out for Blocton, Harris, and the rest of the Auburn freshmen as they look to play an instrumental role in the team’s second-half success in 2024.

Auburn’s freshmen receivers have caught the eye of Kirby Smart

Smart mentioned “phenomenal” freshmen Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons when breaking down the Auburn offense ahead of Saturday’s game.

Auburn’s true freshmen receivers have lived up to the hype through the season’s first five games.

[autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] are No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in terms of receiving yards and are in the top five in receptions. Simmons has turned the most heads so far by hauling in 14 passes for 214 yards and two scores while the team’s top signee, Coleman, has caught nine passes for 212 yards and one touchdown.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is intrigued by these two players, stating his thoughts on the duo during his weekly press conference ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Auburn. Smart feels that Simmons and Coleman have a bright future ahead of them.

“Fast, athletic, great size,” Smart said of Simmons and Coleman. “I mean, they were phenomenal players coming out. They both have special attributes in terms of ball skills, playmaking ability, speed, dynamic receivers. And, you know, those guys, you want to catch them when they’re young. You want to catch them when they’re early in the season, not as they’re getting seasoned vets of the SEC. You can see these guys growing up on tape as they make more of them play.”

When talking about Auburn’s offense, Smart says that playing [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has made a living by implementing the run-pass option within his game plan and it will be important to limit how often the Tigers use them.

“Yeah, it’s the RPO game. (Hugh Freeze) hung his hat on the ability to have RPOs, and I think he’s done a good job adjusting to where it’s not just that. For a while, he was an RPO guy. When RPOs came out, he was ahead of the game at doing those. He’s evolved. He still does those. He still has the quarterback make decisions on plays, whether to throw it or run it, because you can take advantage of defenses doing that. But he’s added new wrinkles and twists that you see in the NFL, you see across college football, using motions and eye candy and sorts of things to create an advantage or create a leverage or a mismatch. So he’s done a good job evolving while keeping the RPO game. The RPO game is the biggest difference. They are fully committed to being able to do and throw RPOs.”

Auburn faces No. 5 Georgia on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. Both teams are coming off of losses to ranked teams. The Bulldogs lost a road game at No. 2 Alabama while Auburn dropped a game late to No. 17 Oklahoma at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

SEC reveals Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of Auburn’s game vs. Arkansas

What’s Cam Coleman’s status for Saturday’s game? Take a look at which Tigers will be available to play vs. Arkansas.

From NIL to conference realignment, college football has experienced many changes recently. The latest change to take place happened Wednesday when the SEC released its first Student-Athlete Availability Report for week four’s slate of games.

Every SEC program is required to submit a status report of its student-athletes each week, and Auburn’s first report features nine players including wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. Coleman sustained a shoulder injury in the Tigers’ loss to Cal in September. 7, which kept him out of last Saturday’s game vs. New Mexico. According to the report, Coleman is listed as questionable for Saturday’s SEC opener vs. Arkansas.

Here’s a look at which players could miss action on Saturday according to the Availability Report.

DB Tyler Scott (Out)
TE Brandon Frazier (Out)
DL Amaris Williams (Doubtful)
WR Cam Coleman (Questionable)
DB Antonio Kite (Questionable)
K Alex McPherson (Questionable)
OL Izavion Miller (Questionable)
DB Kayin Lee (Probable)
DB Champ Anthony (Probable)

The good news from the Availability Report is that Auburn’s opponent, Arkansas, has submitted theirs as well. The Razorbacks’ report is extensive with 12 members including running back Ja’Quinden Jackson. Jackson, a Utah transfer and the SEC’s leading rusher with 397 yards, is listed as probable for Saturday’s game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Here’s Arkansas’ Student-Athlete Availability Report:

DB Jaylon Braxton (Out)
DB Hudson Clark (Out)
DB Miguel Mitchell (Out)
OL Patrick Kutas (Out)
TE Andreas Paaske (Out)
WR Khafre Brown (Out)
WR Dazmin James (Questionable)
DL Nico Davillier (Probable)
DL Anton Juncaj (Probable)
DB Jayden Johnson (Probable)
RB Ja’Quinden Jackson (Probable)
OL Addison Nichols (Probable)

The status of the above players could change between now and kickoff. According to the SEC, “SEC school personnel must submit availability reports three days before each football game, with daily updates leading to a final report 90 minutes prior to game time. Players are designated as “available,” “probable,” “questionable,” “doubtful,” or “out” before game day; and as “available,” “game time decision,” or “out” on game day.”

The best photos from a rain-soaked Tiger Walk

Auburn fans battled the elements as they welcomed their favorite team into Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Auburn Tigers are less than an hour away from kicking off their third game of the season live from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn will see some changes during its homecoming contest against New Mexico, especially on offense. [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] will get the chance to show off his skills for the first time as a starter as he gets the nod over [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] as the Tigers starting quarterback.

Pregame reports from Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live also show that freshman wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] is not dressing out for Saturday’s game due to a shoulder injury.

Before Saturday’s game, Auburn fans were out in full force cheering on their favorite team as they entered the gates of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Here are the best images from Auburn’s Tiger Walk ahead of the New Mexico game.

Brian’s Column: Auburn’s program needs a direction and it starts with a change at quarterback.

Auburn has an opportunity to discover a quarterback on the current roster that can lead what should be a much more talented team next season and beyond

“Every Rose Has Its Thorne.”

The 1988 song by Poison still rings true in many aspects of life today. Unfortunately for the Auburn Tigers, the sentiment of the metaphor has become much more literal than [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his coaching staff would have liked. Auburn’s head coach has spent his first year-plus on the Plains recruiting, and bringing in, flashy weapons that inherently should give his offense the ability to blossom in a very competitive SEC.

That has not happened. Much like a rose needs a strong stem to become an ascetically pleasing product, an offense needs a strong quarterback. Payton Thorne has the talent and experience to be the stem that supports players like [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], and [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] but for whatever reason, it has not happened.

Auburn’s “QB1” was given a long leash in 2023. It was the first year for not only him, but for Hugh Freeze and his contingent of transfer portal plug-ins and coaching staff hold overs as well. Freeze is now in year two. Many of the Tigers playing every Saturday were brought in by him, or kept by him. Excuses are running thin.

This football team should not be losing as near-two-touchdown favorites at home in the second game of the season. The talent is there. While fingers can be pointed, small problems can be “duct-taped”, and low expectations can be used to justify poor performance, at some point, Auburn’s football program needs to be moving in an upward trajectory. One can argue it’s been almost five years since the figurative graph describing the Tiger program has pointed skyward.

Hugh Freeze’s recruiting prowess cannot be discarded. Auburn has a top seven class coming to the Loveliest Village next season and a top three on the way in 2026. There is no denying the realizable significant impact those classes could have on this football team. The issue is, as it continues to be with Hugh Freeze, none of the 30+ high schoolers currently committed to wear orange and blue during their college years play the quarterback position.

The Tigers do have an affluence of highly-touted signal-callers on the current roster however, and while Auburn’s leading man has continuously clamored that none have out performed his transfer portal senior in practice, at some point games have to matter. Redshirt freshmen Hank Brown, true freshman Walker White, and sophomore Holden Geriner have years of eligibility left and the ability to learn this Auburn offense through game action as soon as this week against New Mexico.

All three members of the trio may not be a better option than Payton Thorne, at least in the immediate future, but they have youth and upside on their side which the current starting quarterback simply does not have. Auburn’s coaching staff knows what Payton Thorne is and what he is going to be. The 23-year-old is a solid quarterback that is plagued by inconsistency reading a defense and below-average pocket presence.

It’s very possible Hank Brown could end up being the same player, or a worse player, than Payton Thorne. Now is the time to find out. Continuously trotting out a senior in an already somewhat lost season doesn’t do anything for the Auburn program but keep it in limbo.

Auburn has an opportunity to discover a quarterback on the current roster who can lead what should be a much more talented team next season and beyond. Payton Thorne will not be a Tiger in 2025. It’s time to find out what you have in Brown, White, and Geriner before this same situation arises a year from now.

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