Tag: Jaylin Simpson

Instant Analysis: Auburn falls victim to Texas A&M’s second half explosion, drops SEC opener

A tight first half defensive battle turned into an Texas A&M offensive clinic on Saturday.

Auburn’s SEC opener against Texas A&M began as a defensive battle before ultimately turning into a second-half offensive clinic by the Aggies.

Texas A&M outgained Auburn 281-81 in the second half to pull away and earn a 20-10 win over Auburn at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

Leading 6-3 at halftime, Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) owned a small advantage in the yards department, 121-112. Auburn (3-1, 0-1 SEC) held the advantage in rushing with 66 yards while Texas A&M passed for 70 yards.

In the second half, Aggies quarterback Max Johnson stepped up for the injured Conner Weigman and threw for two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to create separation in the second half.

Texas A&M scored on their first drive, but it was a win for Auburn. The Aggies only gained 46 yards on the initial drive with [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] recording a tackle for loss. The Aggies jumped out to a 3-0 lead with 9:23 to go in the first quarter.

The Aggies’ next drive provided trouble for Auburn, but the defense turned up intensity within the red zone, thus forcing Texas A&M to kick another field goal. Texas A&M extended their lead to 6-0 with 5:31 remaining in the 1st quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Randy Bond. The key play of the drive was a 36-yard rush by Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss to set them up at the Auburn 23-yard line.

An otherwise successful drive turned into a near disaster for Auburn on their second possession. Running backs [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] combined to rush for 45 yards on the drive before a supposed fumble was recovered by Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and turned into a 63-yard touchdown. However, after video review, it was determined that [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] attempted a forward pass to Alston, which fell incomplete. The drive ended with an Auburn punt.

Auburn’s only points of the half came in the final seconds when [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] nailed a 53-yard field goal to cut into Texas A&M’s lead, 6-3.

The third quarter got off to a great start for Texas A&M. Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman was ruled out for the second half due to an injury he suffered late in the first half. Max Johnson stepped in and ended his first drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Jake, to push Texas A&M to a 13-3 lead with 9:42 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Johnson would connect on all three passes in his first drive for 44 yards.

Johnson extended the Aggies’ lead again with his second passing score of the game with 6:22 remaining in the quarter. He connected with wide receiver Evan Stewart from 37 yards out to advance Texas A&M’s score to 20-3.

Auburn’s first touchdown of the game would occur with 12:16 remaining in the contest. [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] forced Aggies running back Reuben Owens to fumble, with the ball ultimately landing in the hands of [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag]. Asante would return the turnover 67 yards to cut Texas A&M’s lead to 20-10.

The final blow from Texas A&M came with 3:59 remaining in the game when Le’Veon Moss scored from four yards away to push Texas A&M to a 27-10 lead.

Auburn looks to bounce back next Saturday against No. 1 Georgia. The next edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry will commence at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised live on CBS.

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Johnny Football 2.0? Johnny Manziel sees himself in Conner Weigman

Can Auburn slow down Texas A&M’s QB on Saturday?

The Auburn Tigers travel to College Station on Saturday to face off with Texas A&M in their SEC opener. They will also face their toughest opposing quarterback to date in Conner Weigman.

Weigman has passed for 909 yards through three games, which is the fourth-highest among SEC quarterbacks behind Vanderbilt’s AJ Swann, LSU‘s Jayden Daniels, and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler. He also has a QBR of 164.53, which is top five in the SEC.

He has caught the attention of a former Texas Aggie quarterback, who says that he doing a great job of leading the team.

During the broadcast of Texas A&M’s 45-3 win over ULM last Saturday, Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was asked to share his thoughts on Weigman’s play. He used the time to praise the Aggies signal caller.

“He looks great. I think he’s growing every week. I think with each week that goes on, he is going to continue to get more comfortable and will continue to go out there and sling it. For the quarterback position especially, I see a little of myself in him out there. He is doing a really good job of leading the team. He’s definitely got a fan in me, and it is fun to watch.”

Weigman is not exactly like Manziel, as he has rushed for just 69 yards ahead of Saturday’s game. But Weigman has the confidence to lead the Aggies to several wins in 2023.

How will he stack up against Auburn’s defense? In order to find success, Weigman will need to find ways to avoid [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag], [autotag]Mosiah Nosili-Kite[/autotag], and [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag]. The trio has combined to force 16 pressures with 10 hurries. In the secondary, [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] and [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] lead the team in coverage grades. Simpson has three interceptions while James has allowed opposing receivers to make seven catches in 13 attempts. Both players allow less than 10 yards per catch.

Weigman will square off with the Tiger defense on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. CT.

Jim Nagy predicts Jaylin Simpson to ‘blow up’ at NFL combine

The Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl is impressed with Jaylin Simpson’s performance through three games.

Auburn safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] has made his presence known to opposing offenses through three games.

He has hauled in three interceptions, which is the most in that span since [autotag]Jerraud Powers[/autotag] reeled in three in three games in 2007. He is also one of the highest-graded defensive players on the Tigers’ roster with an 80.1 overall grade by Pro Football Focus.

He is already generating plenty of NFL buzz and has caught the attention of Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy.

In a recent interview with On3, Nagy mentioned the athleticism of Simpson by pointing out that he can dunk a basketball despite being 5-feet-11. Matching that with his on-field presence, Simpson could make a splash at next year’s NFL combine.

“So you’re talking about a guy that’s gonna blow up the combine. You see the range,” Nagy said in an interview with On3’s Andy Staples. “He’s got true centerfield skills, and probably athletic enough to play some nickel. I think that’s what a lot of teams right now are looking for, that nickel/free type of player, and they’ve got so many good ones.”

Simpson is having a wonderful season to this point, but Nagy says that the combination of Simpson with linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] is a lethal one for the Auburn defense.

“You add Simpson into the mix and Eugene Asante at linebacker, I watched him the other day. Unbelievable against Cal, and to think that he was on the bench last year and on the scout team, crazy to think because they had Owen Pappoe a year ago as an off-the-ball linebacker who was the fastest guy at last year’s combine,” Nagy said. “Eugene Asante is every bit as fast on tape and he’s a more natural football player than Owen Pappoe was and this guy didn’t even play, wasn’t even on our watch list.”

Outside of those two players, Nagy says that he is intrigued by defensive backs [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ James[/autotag], as well as transfers [autotag]Justin Rogers[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayson Jones[/autotag].

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Auburn announces depth chart ahead of matchup with Texas A&M

Auburn has made two changes to the depth chart ahead of their game against Texas A&M

For the second week in a row, Auburn has made some changes to its official depth chart. The Tigers unveiled their depth chart for their Week 4 showdown with Texas A&M on Monday and there is a change on offense and on special teams.

With primary punt returner [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] expected to miss “considerable time,” [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] has been named the new starter. Simpson has returned one punt in his time at Auburn, back in 2021 he had a return of -1 yards.

The other change to the depth chart was the addition of freshman running back [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. He has looked impressive in the first three weeks of the season and has earned more playing time in a crowded backfield.

Here is a look at the full depth chart ahead of their game against Texas A&M Saturday in College Station.

Notes from Auburn’s win over Samford

Payton Thorne and Jaylin Simpson had key performances Saturday night.

Auburn’s passing attack came alive in Auburn’s 45-13 win over Samford Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The coaching staff made a concerted effort to try to have success through the air and it worked like a charm. [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] threw for 282 yards and one touchdown and connected with 10 different receivers. He was also Auburn’s top rusher, ending the day with 123 yards and two scores on the ground.

His top target was [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag], who hauled in six passes for 97 yards and looks to have separated himself as Auburn’s top wideout.

Auburn’s defense continues to excel at creating turnovers as [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] and [autotag]J.D. Rhym[/autotag] both picked off passes to set up the offense in Samford territory.

Here are some note-worthy stats and accomplishments from the game.

Report Card: Grading Auburn’s win over Samford

Most of Auburn’s units graded out very well.

Auburn (3-0) made some mistakes but they were able to take down Samford 45-13 Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

While they should have scored more, it was a strong showing by Auburn and particularly [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]. He did have two of Auburn’s three turnovers but he showcased his athleticism and looked in command of the offense.

The defense shut down the Samford offense outside of two drives, one started deep in Auburn territory and the other was once the game was already in hand. The defensive backs continue to be turnover machines as [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] and [autotag]J.D. Rhym[/autotag] both recorded interceptions.

Here is a look at how every unit graded out.

Auburn players discuss the win over Samford

It’s safe to say that they enjoyed the win.

Auburn’s players enjoyed their return to Jordan-Hare Stadium, beating Samford 45-13.

Some early turnovers by Auburn kept the game closer than it should have been but the Tigers were in control and once [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] cleaned up his decision making it was over.

While he did have two interceptions, Thorne showed his upside, throwing for 282 yards and one touchdown and rushing for 123 yards and two more scores.

Thorne and several of his teammates met with the media to discuss the win, here is what they had to say about Auburn’s third win of the season.

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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Auburn moves up to No. 22 in this week’s ESPN FPI

Auburn was extremely efficient on the offensive side of the ball, and the defense played well enough to merit the Tigers jumping 10 spots from last week’s ranking.

Following a very impressive 59-14 win on Saturday, the Auburn Tigers have moved up 10 spots from their preseason ranking on the ESPN FPI Index.

Auburn showed signs of strength in several categories. This week, the Tigers crack the overall top 25, boast a top-25 offense, and a top-50 defense.

The FPI ranks each college football team by a variety of factors; Strength of record, strength of schedule, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and overall efficiency.

Here’s a look at where Auburn ranks in several major categories in the ESPN FPI ahead of a West Coast trip to California.

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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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__