SEC names four Tigers to All-Freshman squad

Several freshmen are being rewarded for their efforts this season with their first conference honors.

The Southeastern Conference has released its postseason awards for the 2024 season, and four Tigers have found a place within the All-SEC Freshmen team.

Auburn relied heavily on several freshmen this season, and they are being rewarded by earning their first conference honor. Wide receiver [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Bradyn Joiner[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag], and cornerback [autotag]Jay Crawford[/autotag] were named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team, the league office announced this week.

Coleman had a spectacular first season on the Plains, ending the year as Auburn’s second-leading receiver behind Penn State transfer [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag]. The freshman from Phenix City logged 37 catches for 598 yards and eight scores in his debut season. He played a vital role in Auburn’s late-season wins over ULM and Texas A&M by hauling in over 100 receiving yards in both games.

Joiner saw action in 10 games as a redshirt freshman for the Tigers in 2024. After participating in 158 snaps over the first eight weeks of the season, Joiner took over the starting role at left guard over Auburn’s final five games. In 486 total snaps, Joiner allowed 11 pressures with three sacks.

Riddick played in 10 games this season in three different positions. He earned his first start in Auburn’s 31-13 loss to Georgia in October and would record two more starts by the season’s end. Riddick’s freshman campaign concluded with 27 tackles, three sacks, and a pass deflection. He made a season-high six tackles in Auburn’s loss to Oklahoma on Sept. 28.

Crawford wraps up Auburn’s representation after making 15 stops with seven pass breakups and an interception. According to Pro Football Focus, Crawford is the fifth-highest-graded freshman cornerback at 77.3. He earns the grade after allowing just 40.3% of passes to be caught and allowing just two opposing touchdowns.

In addition to Auburn’s four all-freshman nods, running back Jarquez Hunter and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith secured All-SEC honors earlier this week.

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Georgia Tech WR Eric Singleton scheduled to visit Auburn this week

After being the Yellow Jackets’ leading receiver the past two seasons, Singleton is ready to find a new home.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn coaching staff are looking to make a splash in the transfer portal this season by welcoming several key entrants to campus for visits.

One of the early headliners in the transfer portal is Georgia Tech wide receiver [autotag]Eric Singleton[/autotag], and Auburn is wasting no time in showing interest. According to 247Sports, Singleton is scheduled to visit Auburn on Wednesday.

Singleton made an impact at Georgia Tech by being the team’s leading receiver in both seasons. He hauled in 104 catches for 1,408 yards and nine touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Last season, he logged 56 catches for 754 yards and three scores. He recorded a season-high eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown in Georgia Tech’s eight-overtime loss to Georgia on Nov. 29. Singleton made at least two catches in every game this season and went over the 100-yard mark twice.

According to Pro Football Focus data, Singleton reeled in 56 of 91 targets this season with four drops. He added 311 yards to his receiving total after catch, forced nine missed tackles, and led the Yellow Jackets to 32 first downs.

Following [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag]’s departure, the Tigers will have an experienced yet youthful wide receiver room. Bringing Singleton into the unit will add another reliable target to the Auburn offense and could become a strong selling point to a transfer quarterback.

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Payton Thorne, KeAndre Lambert-Smith break down Auburn’s game-winning play

The pair solidified Auburn’s upset of No. 14 Texas A&M by connecting on a two-point play in the 4th overtime.

Saturday night’s game between Auburn and No. 14 Texas A&M ended in typical “night game in Jordan-Hare Stadium” fashion.

Auburn led by 21 points early in the game before Texas A&M stormed back to take a 31-28 lead over the Tigers in the late stages of the 4th quarter. Auburn kicker later [autotag]Ian Vachon[/autotag] nailed a 29-yard field goal with 0:05 remaining in the game to force overtime with a 31-31 tie.

Chaos continued into the overtime as each team traded touchdowns and field goals in the first two periods before missing out on a chance to win in the third period.

Auburn finally emerged victorious when quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] connected with wide receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] [autotag]in the 4th overtime period to push Auburn ahead, 43-41[/autotag]. Texas A&M failed to convert on their opportunity, thus solidifying the win.

Following the game, the duo behind one of the most memorable plays in Auburn history broke down the steps leading up to the play. Lambert-Smith says that the play has been practiced several times before and felt confident that the call would work.

“We have run that play since I’ve been here, since the summer. We hit it every day in practice against the defense. I was lowkey pitching for them to call it,” Lambert-Smith said postgame. “We tried it on one of the previous overtimes, I think it was the one where Payton scrambled and threw it out of bounds, and then we came back to it, and I’m like, ‘P, just throw it, it’s just like practice, just throw it and I’m ready to catch.’ He threw it, and I had to win, and I won. We won.”

Thorne broke down the play postgame by saying that his throw was less than perfect, but had confidence that Lambert-Smith could make the play.

“First off, it was a heck of a catch (by Lambert-Smith). The ball was a little behind him, and I had to throw it a little earlier than usual,” Thorne said. “We dressed up the boundary side more than we usually do on that play, and I was a tad late getting back but not too late. I put it up there and Dre had a few contested catches tonight, so obviously a great play by him.”

The game ended with Auburn fans rushing the field to celebrate with the team as their postseason hopes remain alive. Lambert-Smith, who is in his first, and last, season as an Auburn Tiger, says that the night was one he will never forget.

“I don’t know, it felt different. I put on my story, ‘last one in Jordan-Hare, let’s make it memorable,” and that is definitely something I will never forget,” Lambert-Smith said. “I was in the crowd, I was surfing, it felt like a movie. I felt like it was a great way to send the seniors out, the guys who have been here four or five years. I’m happy that I could be the one to do it, I don’t take it lightly.”

Thorne ended the game with 301 passing yards and two touchdowns while Lambert-Smith reeled in two passes for 104 yards. The duo, as well as the rest of the Auburn Tigers, will look to pull off another upset next Saturday on the road in Tuscaloosa against No. 15 Alabama. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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In photos: Auburn fans storm the field following upset of No. 14 Texas A&M

A wacky week 13 of the college football season included a four OT affair at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

What a wild way to end a bizarre day in college football.

Auburn found a way to play a role in a day filled with upsets as they took down No. 14 Texas A&M, 43-41, in four overtimes at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn avoided disaster after allowing Texas A&M to storm back to take a 31-28 lead after being down 21-0 early in the 2nd quarter. Auburn kicker Ian Vachon nailed a 29-yard field goal to tie the game with 0:05 remaining in the 4th quarter to send the game to overtime.

From there, each team traded touchdowns and field goals in the first two overtime periods before failing to convert their respective “two-point attempts” in the 3rd overtime. Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] connected with wide receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] in the 4th overtime to jump ahead 43-41. Texas A&M’s answer was denied as an attempted reverse pass from quarterback Marcel Reed to receiver Amari Daniels was dropped in the end zone, thus resulting in the overtime loss.

Re-live Saturday night’s wild night of football at Jordan-Hare Stadium by checking out this amazing photo gallery from the game.

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Instant analysis: Auburn takes down No. 14 Texas A&M in 4 OT thriller

Auburn’s postseason dreams remain alive after a thrilling victory over the No. 14 Aggies on Saturday night.

What started as a magical night on the Plains nearly ended in disaster.

The home-standing Auburn Tigers jumped out to an early 21-0 in its game with No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday. However, Texas A&M outscored Auburn, 24-10 over the final 30 minutes to force overtime. The Tigers continued to play with purpose through the overtime period, which led to a 43-41 win on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

Both teams traded touchdowns and field goals in the first two overtime periods before missing their respective “two-point attempts” in the third stanza. The ultimate decider was a pass from Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] to receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] in the fourth overtime period. The pass, along with a failed reverse pass from Texas A&M, led the Tigers to victory.

Texas A&M trailed 21-7 at halftime, but scored two touchdowns in 7:09 of game time to tie the game at 21-21. Auburn regained control of the game briefly thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] with 2:27 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Momentum was shortlived as the Aggies scored 10 unanswered points to take a 31-28 lead with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. Auburn kicker [autotag]Ian Vachon[/autotag] sent the game to overtime by connecting on a 29-yard field goal with 0:05 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Auburn held a slight advantage in overall yards, 469-463, and scored in four of its five red zone trips on Saturday. The Tigers achieved those goals despite having the football 13 minutes less than Texas A&M, and running 15 fewer offensive plays. Thorne completed 19 passes to seven different receivers for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Lambert-Smith and [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag] each had over 100 yards in receptions while [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] rushed for 130 yards and three scores on 28 attempts.

Auburn quickly gained control of the game by scoring on its first three drives. Jarquez Hunter capped the opening drive by scoring on a two-yard rush at the 11:22 mark in the 1st quarter to push Auburn ahead, 7-0.

The next two touchdowns were by-products of a great connection formed between quarterback Payton Thorne and wide receiver Cam Coleman. One week after connecting on eight passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns in Auburn’s win over ULM, the duo paired up again for four passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. The scores of 63 and 15 yards, respectively, put Auburn ahead 21-0 early in the 2nd quarter.

Texas A&M added one score at the 4:13 mark in the 2nd quarter on a one-yard rush by Terry Bussey to cut Auburn’s lead to 21-7 at halftime.

It did not take long for the Aggies to bounce back, as it took 7:09 of game time to tie the game. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed and wide receiver Noah Thomas connected twice in the early stages of the second half on passes of 14 and 73 yards to tie the game at 21-21 with 7:51 remaining in the quarter.

Auburn’s regular season concludes next Saturday when it travels to Tuscaloosa to face the No. 15 Alabama for the 89th Iron Bowl. Kickoff from Bryant-Denny Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted live on ABC.

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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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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.

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Auburn earns first SEC victory of the season against Kentucky

It took until the final week of October, but the Auburn Tigers finally won a conference football game.

It took until the final week of October, but the Auburn Tigers (3-5) finally won a conference football game. After trailing 10-0 after the first frame, the Tigers responded with 24 unanswered points, earning their first SEC win of the season over Kentucky (3-5) to give themselves a fighter’s chance at earning bowl eligibility.

It looked like it would be the same old story for the Tigers early on after Kentucky followed up an opening scripted drive field goal with a quick touchdown to take a 10-0 lead, but Auburn’s defense, specifically defensive end Keldric Faulk, stepped up in a major way for the remainder of the contest. Despite the defense finding some footing, Auburn’s offense struggled to put together any consistency early, ultimately going scoreless for the first quarter-plus.

The Tigers would score in every quarter remaining however. After a miss-hit punt by Kentucky punter Aiden Laros set up Auburn near mid field early in the second quarter, the Tigers took advantage with a quartet of punishing runs by the backfield duo of [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] to set up an eventual [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] touchdown to put the Tigers on the board early in the second stanza. Auburn would add an [autotag]Evan McPherson[/autotag] field goal before the quarter expired, leading to a 10-10 deadlock entering the half.

Much like the second quarter, the final 30-minutes of Saturday’s contest was all Auburn. The Tigers scored another 14 second half points off the back of a career-best night from senior Jarquez Hunter, who would go on to rush for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now the leading rusher in the SEC, Hunter added 19 receiving yards as well, finishing just 3 yards short of a 300 all-purpose yard game. Saturday was Hunter’s first ever 200+ yard rushing performance in his Auburn career. The total was just 29 yards behind Curtis Kuykendall’s all-time single game record for rushing yards by a Tiger. The senuor now sits in fourth place on the all-time list, behind only Kuykendall, Tre Mason (304 yards, 2013), and Bo Jackson (290, 1985).

While Hunter’s career-day was the highlight, the overarching theme of Saturday’s contest gives optimism to an Auburn team needing to win three of its final four games to qualify for a bowl. Saturday showed how effective Auburn can be when the offense takes care of the football, and the Tigers will have a lot of good tape to build on as they head back to the Plains for a massive contest with a rejuvenated Vanderbilt squad.

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CBS Sports includes two Tigers in midseason top 100 players list

These two Tigers have performed at high levels to this point of the season

Auburn football may not have the record it would like to have through six games, but that does not mean the players are not playing at a high level.

CBS Sports revealed its picks for the top 100 players at the midway point of the 2024 college football season and included two Auburn Tigers.

It is no secret that the production of wide receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] have been vital to Auburn’s success on the field, which is why CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer made sure to include the duo in his midseason ranking.

Lambert-Smith has already shattered last season’s top receiving totals just six games into his Auburn career by hauling in 24 catches for 510 yards and six scores. He has matched [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag]’s 2023 touchdown total and has blown past Fairweather’s yardage total by over 100 yards at the midway point of the season. However, he needs 15 more catches to surpass Fairweather’s 2023 total, which should be an easy accomplishment with six regular season games remaining.

Faulk holds the team lead in sacks this season, recording five for a loss of 32 yards. He trails [autotag]Dorian Mausi[/autotag] and [autotag]Jerrin Thompson[/autotag] for the team lead in tackles with 27, including 20 solo. Pro Football Focus data shows that Faulk is the most valuable defensive player on Auburn’s roster through six games with a grade of 86.4, with his strong suit being run defense, where he grades at 88.8.

Looking ahead to the rest of Auburn’s schedule, the Tigers will face 10 players from CBS Sports’ rankings including Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams (No. 17), Texas A&M EDGE Nic Scourton (No. 33), and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (No. 100).

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

Auburn made very few, but costly mistakes in its recent loss to Oklahoma.

Auburn football finished its five-game home stand in less than desirable fashion, which seemed to be the name of the game throughout the entire start to the 2024 season.

The Tigers saw a late pick six become the difference in Saturday’s 27-21 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners, dropping them to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the SEC heading into the month of October.

Unlike the team’s other two defeats, this one felt like things were going right for Auburn. While it only scored 21 points, plays were being made and the team was moving the ball. Despite that, it gave up the lead late and horror struck once again for a team with high hopes.

Here is what we learned about the Tigers after the loss.

Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was benched a short couple of weeks ago and thrown back into action last week against Arkansas after struggles shown by [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag]. He responded this week in one of the biggest games of Auburn’s season by playing well, which is what fans desperately needed to see.

There were many good deep throws made with smart decisions, but what fans will remember were the other decisions made, the ones that had them holding their breath and just hoping the ball would not be interceptions.

For the most part, they were relieved of that, that was until the Sooners’ Kip Lewis intercepted a ball on a slant route and ran it back to give his squad a late lead. It answered the question of if Thorne had improved in crunch time, which was no.

On the receiving end, [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] have become two of the team’s most reliable targets in the early going, and when they get the ball, it always feel like a big play is in motion.

Running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] is also still who every Tigers fan knows him as, a powerful weapon. Despite not breaking 100 yards, Hunter continues to make explosive plays that provide a spark to the offense.

The defense still has many kinks to work out. Containing the quarterback has consistently been a problem all year, and while things improved on Saturday, it gave up two of the more crucial plays of the game in the opening drive touchdown by Michael Hawkins Jr. and his two-point conversion that gave Oklahoma a 24-21 lead.

[autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag] had an explosive game and proved what he can do with six tackles, including a tackle-for-loss and sack. Look for him to continue growing down the stretch.

For the first time this season, Auburn saw its special teams struggle, as [autotag]Towns McGough[/autotag] missed both of his field goal attempts on the day, including one right before the half that would have given his team a 17-7 lead and raised the momentum heading into the break. For a young kicker, he still has a lot to grow on, but those two turned out to be a major miss for the Tigers.

Auburn takes the road for the entire month of October, beginning with a trip to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. That game is set for 2:30 p.m. CST and will be broadcast live on ABC from Sanford Stadium.

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