Tag: Cole Cubelic

ESPN’s Chris Low shares his thoughts on LSU midway through the season

Chris Low sat down with Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on their show to discuss his thoughts on what is helping LSU and what is holding it back.

The LSU Tigers are off to a 4-2 start in the 2023 season.

The Tigers have suffered losses to Florida State and Ole Miss but they still have hopes of winning the SEC West. To do that, the Tigers will likely have to win every SEC game left on their schedule. LSU would have to beat Auburn, Alabama, and Texas A&M for a shot at Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

This team has their positives and their negatives. Chris Low sat down with Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on their show to discuss his thoughts on what is helping LSU and what is holding them back.

“They’re dangerous because they can score. To beat these guys, you’re going to have to score. I don’t think you can beat them 21-17 or 24-20. … But the flip side of that is, for LSU, it’s hard when you have to beat people 42-41 every game… there’s a lot of pressure with that,” Low said, per On3. “As good as Jayden Daniels is playing right now, and their receivers, I mean they’re moving the ball up and down the field against everybody. At some point when you’re having to outscore everybody, it comes back to get you.”

LSU takes on the Auburn Tigers on Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge.

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SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic is a big fan of Texas A&M DE Shemar Turner’s impressive versatiliy

SEC Networks’ Cole Cubelic is a fan of Aggies junior defensive end Shemar Turner’s impressive versatility.

Texas A&M (2-1) is just a couple of days away from hosting the Auburn Tigers on Saturday afternoon, as both programs are set to open SEC play in front of what should be a packed Kyle Field.

As SEC Nation has already made its way to College Station to preview the game for the next two days up until kick-off, SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic joined many of us in Aggie media and the fanbase alike concerning junior defensive end Shemar Turner, who leads Texas A&M in sacks (3) netting one sack a week so far. Due to his impressive position versatility, Cubelic notes that this may be the beginning of Turner’s rise to stardom in the trenches.

“Shemar Turner was lights out, lights out again. And this is what’s cool: he can go outside of a tackle, and he can rush the edge; he can move down into a 3-technique, outside shade of a guard, and he can strike and shed an offensive lineman and play the interior of the defensive line exactly the way it’s supposed to be played. He had an awesome game again.” 

Despite tackling issues and poor coverage witnessed in the Aggies’ 48-33 Week 2 road loss to Miami, don’t count out the defense just yet, showing vast improvement in the win vs. UL Monroe, currently ranked 39th in the country, which includes their 35th-ranked rushing defense; a steady improvement from last season.

However, the pass rush has continued to struggle, but that may be changing with Turner’s sudden ascendance, which could open up the rest of the Aggie’s defensive line to finally get in the backfield at a consistent rate, starting with Auburn’s veteran, and transfer heavy offensive line.

Texas A&M will host the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 11:00 a.m., where it will air on ESPN.

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SEC Networks’ Cole Cubelic is very high on one Aggie football transfer portal addition

SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic is an apparent fan of one Texas A&M Football transfer portal addition, former North Carolina CB Tony Grimes.

Last week, SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, well known for his highly entertaining sideline reporting during the SEC Football slate, is apparently a big fan of one Texas A&M transfer portal addition, former North Carolina shutdown cornerback Tony Grimes, who after three seasons in Chapel Hill is back with the program that recruited him the hardest out of Virginia Beach (VA).

With ten transfer portal additions, Grimes announced his intentions to finish his collegiate career with the Aggies back in late December, and due to his vast experience in the always high-scoring ACC, he’s a shoo-in to compete for the starting cornerback position opposite junior corner Tyreek Chappell.

While discussing which teams made the best additions through the portal during a recent episode of the Cube Show, Cubelic’ made it clear: Grimes is slated to become “that dude” for the Maroon and White in 2023, recording a PFF coverage grade of 66.3 in 2022.

“Texas A&M, another one that’s pretty easy. We don’t need to spend a ton of time on it because there’s not a ton of dudes going in. I’ll go Tony Grimes, cornerback out of UNC,” Cubelic stated. “Outside of one safety spot, I don’t feel super comfortable with the A&M secondary. So you go get someone with experience, understanding of playing big-time college football, should be able to come in, lock down a spot and be a good player for that A&M defense.”

Grimes joins former Florida State defensive back Sam McCall and former Boston College cornerback Josh DeBerry in what will be a revamped secondary from a depth perspective, as the departures of Antonio Johnson and Jaylon Jones to the NFL present a challenge. Still, I’d be a fool, not to mention sophomore hybrid defensive back Bryce Anderson, who is undoubtedly poised to pick up where he left off after a very successful and highlight-worthy 2022 performance.

Nevertheless, Tony Grimes’ speed, length, and football intelligence led to 97 tackles, 74 solo tackles, 19 pass deflections, and one interception in three seasons with the Tarheels, including 36 tackles and seven pass deflections during the 2022 season.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Greg McElroy reacts to Auburn’s 2024 SEC schedule

McElroy broke down each SEC team’s 2024 draw on the latest episode of his podcast “Always College Football.”

Now that the 2024 SEC schedule release has had time to marinate, college football experts from across the region have begun to share their opinions on each program’s draw.

The most recent personality to share his take on SEC team’s fates is former Alabama quarterback [autotag]Greg McElroy[/autotag]. Since hanging up his cleats, McElroy is staying busy by hosting a podcast, co-hosting a radio show in Birmingham with former Auburn lineman [autotag]Cole Cubelic[/autotag], and serving as a college football analyst on ESPN.

In a recent episode of his podcast, Always College Football, McElroy took time to break down Auburn’s 2024 draw. McElroy complimented the SEC’s work in being able to keep Alabama and Georgia on Auburn’s schedule, but went on to say that the rest of the docket was “random.”

“Look at Auburn’s schedule. There wasn’t a whole lot of consistency across the board, but you did protect their two biggest rivals. The Iron Bowl and the [Deep] South’s Oldest Rivalry, Auburn-Georgia,” McElroy said. “So, I’m glad that those two games remained. The others felt just kind of thrown together a little bit with the Auburn Tigers.”

Another topic of note regarding the SEC schedule release is the lack of several games. Auburn will not play LSU or Mississippi State next season, but several notables that McElroy mentioned in his show are Alabama-Mississippi State, South Carolina-Georgia, and Oklahoma–Texas A&M.

Check out the entire episode of Always College Football here:

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Paul Finebaum sees Texas A&M as clear contenders in the SEC West next season

During an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Paul Finebaum is apparetnly all-in on the Aggies rebounding in 2023

For many of you, hearing the name Paul Finebaum may incite a litany of emotions, but no one can deny his legendary status as one of the premier college football analysts in the country.

For Texas A&M and head coach Jimbo Fisher, Finebaum has been both a friend and general thorn in his side since arriving in College Station nearly six years ago, and after the Aggies’ highly disappointing 5-7 2022 campaign, Finebaum was there to fairly criticize the program’s woeful on-field display.

On the contrary, Finebaum has surprisingly developed a more optimistic tone regarding A&M’s chances to rebound during the 2023 season, and during his Monday morning appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, the “Mouth of the South” made it clear to those listening: Texas A&M is a clear contender in the SEC West next season.

“I think you just have to cut the narrative out from last season and this season, and just look at what’s on that team and how many impact players they have,” Finebaum stated on the show. “Can they overcome a lot of things?”

Yes, the 2023 schedule is favorable with home games against Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi State, yet their Nov. 4th road trip to Oxford, Mississippi to face the always ostentatious Rebels head coach, Lane Kiffin is standing in their way. Well, Finebaum seems to think that the Rebel’s fall from grace after defeating the Aggies (who lost their final four games) is still an issue that may seep into the 2023 campaign.

“I’m still bothered by the end of last season,” he said. “I know the media narrative is ‘It had a lot to do with Lane Kiffin and Auburn.’ I don’t know. Come on. That may have been a factor on the final game, but that was not wafting through the waters of some of the other games. Ole Miss just simply collapsed last year, and that has to be dealt with.”

Shifting his focus to the matchup that will surely garner huge ratings once again, Alabama’s return to College Station on Saturday, Oct. 7 might define that Aggies season if consistency is discovered in their first five games before what is likely to be a primetime showdown.

“I think it’s a tremendous advantage to have the Alabama game at home,” Finebaum stated. “That’s where A&M planted its flag two years ago and nearly did it last year in Tuscaloosa. I feel pretty good about them.”

What caused this sudden change of heart? It’s pretty simple; Texas A&M may have holes in their roster like every team in the county, but other than that obvious fact, this team is poised to not only rebound next season but make a serious run in their return to the postseason.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty

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How the addition of Oklahoma, Texas could affect SEC scheduling

Greg Sankey hopes to put emphasis on rivalries and more frequent campus visits in the SEC’s new scheduling model.

In an unforeseen manner, the Big 12 Conference announced last week that has reached an early exit deal with Oklahoma and Texas, allowing the two institutions to bolt for the SEC in 2024, which is a year earlier than expected.

In order to pay for the expected revenue loss that the conference will suffer with the departure of the two programs, both Oklahoma and Texas will pay a combined $100 million in order to depart early.

Now that the move has been announced, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has some planning to do, especially when it comes to football scheduling.

Since the news of Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference broke in 2021, there have been talks of the SEC going to a four-team pod system, while others project a nine-game schedule with no divisions. What ideas does the SEC’s leading man have? He shared them in a recent episode of McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.

He tells show hosts Greg McElroy and [autotag]Cole Cubelic[/autotag] that he wants to put emphasis on maintaining historical rivalries while building a strong rotation amongst programs to cut down on the gaps between visits. In the latter regard, he referenced last season’s game between Auburn and Missouri, and the strange history between Georgia and Texas A&M as examples of reasons to change the scheduling format.

“We saw games last year, Missouri at Auburn, for example, that hadn’t been played since we added Missouri back in 2012,” Sankey said. “The one that sticks out in most articles is Georgia has not traveled to College Station since Texas A&M has been a member. That shouldn’t happen. We shouldn’t be going 12 years between campus visits.”

Sankey also mentions the importance of rivalry games, but will not have a clear picture of the frequency of rivalry games until the conference decides on whether to play an eight or nine-game model.

“We’ve been intentional about discussing our ability to have annual rivalries played or rivalries played every other year. We haven’t arrived at a destination between eight or nine games,” Sankey said. “The number of games will facilitate the number of annual games that take place.”

Other factors that Sankey is exploring are tiebreakers within a single division and competitive balance. He says that he hopes to have the model ready in time for the SEC Spring Meetings that will take place in Destin, Florida in a few months.

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ESPN analyst is surprised by Auburn’s lack of defensive production

Auburn has yet to force a turnover and only has made four sacks through three games. The lack of production is concerning says one ESPN analyst.

Auburn’s defense has not been as effective as expected through three games.

That fact was telling during Auburn’s recent 41-12 loss to Penn State, as the Tigers allowed the Nittany Lions to be just as successful passing the football, as they were running it on their way to gaining 477 yards of total offense.

Auburn’s defense failed to create both a turnover and a sack in the game, which allowed Penn State to piece together more effective drives. The season production has, unfortunately, been consistent with their play against Penn State. Through three games, Auburn has only recorded four sacks and has yet to record a turnover.

Former Auburn great and current ESPN College Football analyst Cole Cubelic was a recent guest on the local sports talk show “Sportscall”, where he discussed his postgame thoughts following Auburn’s loss to Penn State. Cubelic says that he is surprised by the lack of defensive production to this point.

“I did not think that (the lack of sacks) would be a problem this year, I thought that getting to the quarterback would be something that Auburn would have good success with,” Cubelic said. “It’s been two consecutive years that they have not had a sack against Penn State. Penn State has not had offensive lines that have been knocking on the door of winning the Joe Moore Award. It’s collectively finding ways to make things happen, finding ways to make plays, finding ways to get the ball back into your hands.”

When reviewing the film of Auburn’s defense each week, Cubelic says that a quick way for Auburn to create more turnovers is to be more creative.

“(Auburn has) not been opportunistic and have gone out to find different ways to take the football away. A lot of turnovers are forced. You jar the football loose, that happened with [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] and Sean Clifford, the ball just happened to roll to a Penn State player over by the sideline,” Cubelic said. “Some guys are attempting to make those plays, attempting to make things happen. But, at the same time, you have to go find ways to get the football. Whether it’s in the air or getting to the quarterback, it has been a problem.”

Auburn currently ranks 10th in the SEC in total defense by allowing 359 yards per game. This week’s opponent, Missouri, averages 220 passing yards per game while rushing for 202 yards per contest.

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Cole Cubelic shares thoughts on Auburn’s ongoing quarterback battle

The former Tiger and current SEC Network analyst has delivered an interesting, yet thorough, take on Auburn’s quarterback saga.

Head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] intends to use every bit of the final two weeks of preseason practice to evaluate the candidates for the open quarterback slot.

[autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag], [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag], and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] have all impressed Harsin in their own personal ways, but Harsin needs one of those players to take control of the offense, and show him why they are the best fit to take on the role of starting quarterback.

While Harsin is still considering all options, those in the media are expressing their choices for starting quarterback, and why they are the best option. One of those is former Tiger and current SEC Network analyst [autotag]Cole Cubelic[/autotag].

Cubelic was a guest on a recent episode of On3’s podcast “The Hard Count” with JD PicKell. While on the show, the topic of Auburn’s ongoing quarterback saga was discussed, and Cubelic was asked to share his point of view on the situation. His pick for opening day starter is a safe one, but has solid logic behind it.

“I think it’s T.J. Finley’s job to lose right now, mainly because he finished the season as the starter last year, and Calzada had shoulder surgery, so he didn’t get a ton of reps with the ones in spring ball,” Cubelic said, “As a matter of fact, anything that was live – which with a quarterback still aren’t live, but perceived to be live – and even in a lot of the seven-on-seven stuff, T.J. got a lot of the number one reps.”

While Cubelic believes that Finley has the edge to start the season-opening game against Mercer on September 3, he says that another candidate could step up later in the season, and ultimately take the job.

“I still think that (Zach) Calzada is more capable,” Cubelic said. “I think eventually he wins the job, but as of right now, I still think Zach’s got to go take it from T.J. if he’s going to be the starter game one and be the starter for the entire season.”

The next chance for an Auburn quarterback to create separation is Friday when the team holds its second scrimmage of fall camp.

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SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic breaks down LSU in its first season under Brian Kelly

Cubelic said that LSU may have the most NFL talent on its roster in the SEC after Alabama and Georgia.

There’s nothing quite like coaching in the SEC.

Even for someone like [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], the third-winningest active head coach at the FBS level who has led a college football program in every season since 1991, there can be a bit of a learning curve.

Kelly will hope to manage the hardships in his first run through the SEC as the Tigers look to bounce back from a 6-7 finish in 2021 that resulted in former coach Ed Orgeron’s dismissal midway through the season.

Not many are high on LSU entering 2022, but SEC Network sideline reporter and analyst Cole Cubelic offered a more optimistic outlook during an appearance on On3’s “The Hard Count.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time on our show, on other shows debating who is the third best team in the SEC,” Cubelic said. “LSU rarely comes up. … But if you go over the next three years, the guys that are on rosters on Sundays, outside of Alabama and Georgia, I think LSU has the most guys that are going to be drafted and that are going to play in the NFL on this roster right now. That doesn’t mean you’re going to go win 10 games. So he’s got his hands full.”

LSU’s roster is certainly more talented than some realize after retooling through the transfer portal and a recruiting class that features potential immediate impact players like five-star linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], a prospect from the Lone Star State who Kelly managed to flip from Texas A&M.

The improvements may not come overnight, but this is a team that could be set to surprise some observers in 2022.

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Former Auburn Tiger Cole Cubelic believes Bryan Harsin will return

ESPN’s Cole Cubelic believes that Harsin will be back.

This feels like a soap opera doesn’t it? Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our Harsin lives.

After reports of the Auburn Tigers head coach having a ‘benign’ meeting with school officials, one former player believes Bryan Harsin will be retained as head coach. In the words of The Joker…And. Here. We. Go.

Former Tiger and current ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic took to Twitter to voice his take on the matter for his alma mater.

“I believe that Bryan Harsin will be retained as the Auburn head football coach,” Cubelic tweeted.  “Alignment will be critical moving forward. Adjustments from all sides will be necessary.

“Must find a way for everyone to attempt to put this behind them & move forward to help all parties reconcile & find a way to work together towards competing for championships. Will not be easy. Divisiveness cannot continue.”

With each passing day, it feels like Harsin returning in 2022 becomes a likely scenario. In his interview with ESPN, the Auburn head coach stated, “certainly, I’m the right man for the job.”

“There’s no doubt about it. No one is going to have a better plan than I do, but we’ve got to change some things. This place is not going to be a championship program until we change some things. You’ve got to let the head coach be the head coach and support him.”

But has the damage already been done? While yes alignment will be critical, could this just be delaying the inevitable? Should the Tigers have a slow start out of the gate in 2022, they could then pull the trigger. Perhaps given the fact that it would be late in the process, Harsin will be given another chance due to a lack of options?

Frankly, Harsin deserves to come back in 2022 and the administration needs to give him support or this was never going to work with him as head coach.