Tag: Cam Riley

Focus, discipline will be key for Auburn to create more turnovers

Bryan Harsin wants to see his secondary create more turnovers going forward. Safety Zion Puckett has the solution to the issue.

Auburn did many things well in last Saturday’s 42-16 win over Mercer.

On offense, Auburn racked up 497 total yards, had two quarterbacks reach the 100-yard passing mark, and running backs [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] combined to score five rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Auburn held Mercer to 271 total yards, and linebacker [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] had a breakout game by recording 15 tackles.

Bryan Harsin was pleased with his team’s overall effort last Saturday, but, as many coaches are, was not completely satisfied with every aspect of the game — specifically his team’s lack of creating turnovers in the game and leaving receivers open.

“If that ball is in the air, just speaking from an offensive coordinator standpoint, if they’re going to put the ball in the air, we should have a chance to go compete for the ball,” Harsin said during Monday’s press conference.  “That’s what I think you do at the back end when you have a good football team.”

Harsin went on to say that he has set a high standard for his secondary, but believes that his unit is good enough to make a play on the ball if given the opportunity.

Out of Mercer quarterback Fred Payton’s 36 attempted passes last Saturday, Auburn was only able to get a hand on five of them. What does the Auburn secondary need to do in order to disrupt their opponent’s passing game? Safety [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] says that focus is key.

“To get more turnovers, I believe that we need to read more of our keys, be more disciplined with our eyes, and basically focus on everything that we have to do each play,” Puckett said Monday afternoon. 

This week’s opponent, San Jose State, found success throwing the football in their season-opening win over Portland State last Saturday. Spartan quarterback Chevan Cordeiro threw for 239 yards and a touchdown.

Puckett says that with proper focus and discipline, Auburn’s secondary should improve in limiting San Jose State’s air attack.

“They are a pretty good team I feel like,” Puckett said. “We have to respect the run game and the pass game, but as long as we know our keys and do what we do and do the right techniques, I think that we will be pretty good.”

Auburn meets San Jose State for the third time in history on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

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Auburn football names its top players from Mercer victory

There were quite a few commendations to go around after Auburn’s dominant win.

It’s hard to pick standouts in a dominating victory like the Tigers’ 42-16 rout of the Mercer Bears, but there were a few standouts in Auburn’s home opener last Saturday.

The official Auburn Football Twitter account gave its picks, and it included five standout players from all over the ball — [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag], [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag]. All of them contributed in a big way, but each had their own unique performances that allowed the Tigers to coast past the Bears.

On the offensive side of the ball, Bigsby showed everyone why he’s considered one of the SEC’s best backs by busting off 147 yards and two touchdowns behind the efforts of Council. Meanwhile, Riley and Wooden wreaked havoc on the defense, with the former recording 15 total tackles and the latter recording three, both with a quarterback hurry each.

Finally, Hunter took back a single kickoff in the game and returned it 14 yards.

All of these Tigers will look to continue their production this weekend when Auburn takes on San Jose State back at Jordan-Hare stadium.

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Five takeaways from Auburn’s victory against Mercer

There was a lot to love from Auburn’s first W of the year.

Southern Conference opponent or not, 1-0 is 1-0.

The Tigers ran through the Bears 42-16 on Saturday, ensuring their first game of the season would be a victory. The action was paused late in the third quarter due to a lightning delay of an hour and a half, but that didn’t slow down Auburn when it came back out onto the field to finish the game and start the season off the right way.

There’s a lot to discuss even with the competition in question, so here are five takeaways from the victory in Auburn’s home opener.

Auburn beats Mercer 42-16 to open 2022 season

It took a little longer than it needed to, but Auburn beat Mercer for their first win of the season.

Auburn opened the season with a 42-16 win over the Mercer Bears Saturday to start the 2022 season. The Tigers had to wait for their first win as lighting forced an hour and 27-minute delay in the third quarter.

Auburn scored the first 28 points to seize control of the game and never looked back. [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] led the way offensively, combining for five rushing touchdowns and 181 yards. In total, nine Tigers rushed for 285 yards and five scores on 41 carries.

[autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] was Auburn’s starting quarterback but backup quarterback [autotag] Robby Ashford [/autotag] played early and showed that the battle for Auburn’s starting quarterback may not be over. He subbed in for Finley on the fourth play of the game and promptly ran for eight yards. He showed his big play potential to open Auburn’s second drive, taking the ball 49 yards around the left side to set up the Tiger’s second touchdown.

After Finley started the game 8-of-9 for 100 yards and one touchdown his night took a turn. He threw two interceptions in his final four passes and finished the night 9-of-14 with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Ashford took over from Finley after his second interception and attempted his first pass, a dropped screen pass. He didn’t let that deter him, completing his next two passes, a third-down conversion to [autotag]Tar’Varish Dawson Jr.[/autotag] and a beautiful 56-yard pass to [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag].

Ashford led the final three drives of the night, with the offense touchdowns on the first two and turning it over on downs on their final drive of the night. He finished the night 4-of-7 for 100 yards and rushing for 68 yards on six carries.

Ashford showed enough that the battle to be the starting quarterback is not over and will bleed into the rest of the season.

The defense showed why they project to be the strength of the team, holding Mercer’s offense to 16 points and 4.0 just yards per play a week after they scored 66 points.

[autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag] showed why the coaching staff is so high on him. He led Auburn with 15 tackles and one quarterback hurry. [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] also showed why he is the new top corner, making three tackles and breaking up two passes.

Auburn will return to action Sat. 10 against San Jose State (1-0) in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Players who raised their stock during fall camp

Here are the seven players who raised their stock the most during fall camp.

Every year some players will have impressive fall camps and this year was no different for Auburn.

With fall camp all but over, let’s take a look at some of the players who boosted their stock the most during fall camp. While some of these players are now the favorites for a starting spot, some are now key backups.

The group includes several veterans who have started to put it together as well as some youngsters and even a couple of newcomers who look like players Auburn will be able to count on this season.

Here is a look at the seven players who boosted their stock the most as well as some players who deserve recognition for their progress.

New list names potential Auburn breakout candiates

Who do you think will emerge as a star player this season for Auburn?

You never know which players could break out over a season, but there are certainly some that show more potential than others.

A new list by the Montgomery Advertiser has done its best to try and predict who these players will be, and it’s never an easy feat. Here is the criteria the new list uses to try and determine which Auburn players could shine under [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s second year with the Tigers:

“There are two schools of thought for applicable returners. The first type: someone who hasn’t gotten much playing time in previous years and who Auburn needs to step up with increased reps. The second type: someone who’s already a regular but underachieved last season.”

There will certainly be an influx of these types of players coming to play for Auburn in Bryan Harsin’s second year. Following the departure of Bo Nix and a massive wave of transfers out of the program following Bryan Harsin’s controversy, plenty of players will have the chance to make their mark on the program as Harsin will desperately look to prove his worth and keep his job at the end of the 2022 season.

Here are the six players the list names as potential breakout stars for this— upcoming college football season:

Auburn Tiger Snapshot Profile: No. 35 Cam Riley

Get to know Auburn linebacker Cam Riley.

Going into the 2022 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Bryan Harsin this season.

Next on our list is linebacker [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag]. He played in 11 games last season but was primarily used on special teams. Now a junior, he has moved up the depth chart and is set to have a bigger role in the middle of the defense.

Cam Riley’s Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Evergreen, Alabama

Ht: 6-5

Wt: 230

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four-Star | No. 13 in Alabama | No. 20 Outside linebacker

Class in 2021: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Tackles TFL Sacks FF INT
2020 11 9 0 0 0 0
2021 11 14 1 0 0 0

PFF Rankings

Year Defense Run Defense Tackling Pass Rush Coverage
2020 51.8 48.8 61.1 76.8 49.5
2021 59.8 53.1 70.7 53.7 68.8

Depth Chart Overview

Riley signed with Auburn in the same class as fellow linebackers Wesley Steiner and Desmond Tisdol and the trio is starting to see their roles increase.

Riley was named the defensive MVP of the A-Day Game after making five tackles and a sack. He worked with Auburn’s first-team defense during spring but that could change once Owen Pappoe returns from injury in fall camp.

Regardless of how the rotation works outs, Riley is set to have a bigger role in his junior season after mostly playing on special teams last season.

Cam Riley’s Photo Gallery

Auburn Spring Football: Linebackers primed for another big season

Auburn’s linebacker corps featuring Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain should be one of the top units in the SEC.

Linebacker was one of the strengths of the defense a season ago and with the return of Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain, the corps could be even better in 2021.

The group will be without team leader K.J. Britt and is now under the tutelage of new defensive coordinator Derek Mason and position coaches Jeff Schmedding and Bert Watts but has the talent and depth to help lead Auburn’s new-look defense. 

Projected depth chart

Outside linebacker

T.D. Moultry, senior, nine tackles in 11 games.

Cam Riley, sophomore, nine tackles in 11 games, made one start.

Inside linebacker

Zakoby McClain, senior, led the SEC with 113 tackles, three sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, started nine games and played in all 11.

Chandler Wooten, senior, opted out of the 2020 season.

Inside linebacker 

Owen Pappoe, junior, 93 tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss, started all 11 games.

Wesley Steiner, sophomore, three tackles in nine games.

Departed: 

K.J. Britt, graduated, 23 tackles, one tackle for loss, started two games before injury ended season

Outlook:

Auburn’s linebacker group was without two critical players last season after Chandler Wooten opted out and Britt suffered an injury early in the season but they were still one of the best in the SEC.

This was thanks to the stellar play of McClain and Pappoe and why expectations for the group are once again so high.

McClain emerged as one of the best linebackers in the SEC, leading the conference and tying for the FBS lead in tackles with 113 tackles. After not making any of the All-SEC teams, he is ready to prove himself even more in his senior campaign.

Pappoe has emerged as one of the most versatile players on the defense, creating pressure whenever he is sent on blitzes and has the speed to drop back into coverage.

His versatility should mesh well with Mason’s system which will ask Pappoe to do a little bit of everything.

The duo will be backed up by Wooten and Wesley Steiner. Wooten is returning after opting out a season ago and will provide some more experience after appearing in 45 games throughout his career. Steiner played in nine games as a freshman and should see his role continue to grow.

T.D. Moultry appears to be playing the edge rusher/outside linebacker role and the new staff will look to get the most out of him after he has struggled with injuries, penalties and inconsistent play held him back under the previous staff. Moultry has the ability to play inside and outside so he could see snaps at several different positions along the front seven.  

Riley played in nine games as a true freshman and has the potential to play inside linebacker or along the outside. With Pappoe and McClain clogging up the middle a move outside would seem to be a good way to get the talented Riley onto the field.