Tag: reaction

Bryan Harsin reveals quarterback game plan for San Jose State game

Both T.J. Finley and Robby Ashford got equal reps in Saturday’s win over Mercer. How does each performance factor into week two’s game plan?

Auburn head football coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] elected to use both [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] to lead the offense in the Tigers’ 42-16 win over Mercer last Saturday.

Finley completed 9-of-14 passes for 112 yards, while Ashford was 4-of-7 for 100 yards. Both quarterbacks had a chance to separate themselves as well. Ashford recorded the team’s second-highest rushing total with 68 yards. Finley, though, would go on to throw two interceptions in an otherwise respectable performance.

Harsin shared his thoughts on the quarterback situation during Monday’s press conference. He says that using the rotation of Finley and Ashford was always in last week’s game plan.

“We knew that was going to happen. Not everybody else did,” Harsin said in a release. “But we knew that back and forth would happen… and we got a chance to keep Robby in there because we were winning the game.”

How does week one’s showing affect the game plan for Saturday’s game with San Jose State? Not at all, in Harsin’s eyes. According to this week’s depth chart, Finley is still considered to be the starter, but Harsin says that he expects Ashford to be thrown into the mix as well.

Will there be an even split? Or will one quarterback see more snaps than the other? Harsin partially alluded to that question as well. He was asked about his decision to use only Ashford following Finley’s second interception early in the 3rd quarter. To that, he says that Finley’s playing time in the San Jose State game will not be dictated by what happened last week and that he had another idea in mind.

“(Finley) had played well up to that point, and then he had the two turnovers… We wanted to get (Ashford) some more reps.”

Auburn welcomes San Jose State to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

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Sam Pittman on Spencer Rattler: ‘He runs the show well’

Pittman had kind words to say about Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler ahead of this Saturday’s game with South Carolina

Arkansas Football is set to host South Carolina this Saturday, which will be one of two games featuring SEC squads battling each other joining Kentucky at Florida.

One of the most exciting players on South Carolina’s roster is quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler, who transferred to South Carolina from Oklahoma following the 2021 season. While at Oklahoma, he passed for 4,595 yards and 40 touchdowns while rushing for 260 yards and nine touchdowns in three seasons.

His most productive season was in 2020 when he passed for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns. Those stats are even more respectable when considering that the Sooners only played 11 total games due to the COVD-19 pandemic that shortened the season.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was asked about Rattler’s athleticism during Monday’s press conference. Pittman says that he likes the way that South Carolina’s vibe runs through Rattler.

“Like KJ (Jefferson) with us, he’s either going to have through the whole team confidence about him, or the whole team reacts, to me, about what the quarterback does,” Pittman said. “They believe in (Rattler). He runs the show well.” 

Pittman says that South Carolina’s offense has shown signs of being built around Rattler’s athletic ability. At least that is what he gathered by watching South Carolina’s win over Georgia State last Saturday.

“Their No. 1 set was Empty on Saturday. Of course, you have Spencer Rattler, you want to do that,” Pittman said. “Where he’s most dangerous is when he gets out of the pocket. He can throw on the run as accurate as anybody. I think that’s the game plan for them.” 

In his first game at South Carolina, Rattler threw for 227 yards and a touchdown, while tossing two interceptions.

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Everything Jim Harbaugh said about Michigan football in his Week 2 press conference

Ready to see what this team can do in Week 2! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football’s Week 1 is in the books, and now the team will shift gears with a new starting quarterback under center in J.J. McCarthy, as it prepares to take on a hapless Hawaii Rainbow Warriors team.

Meeting with the media a little earlier than usual on Monday, head coach Jim Harbaugh fielded questions about Cade McNamara’s performance in Week 1 against Colorado State, what he saw from a handful of freshmen, who he liked defensively, and more. The Wolverine head coach was pleased with what he saw, but also feels like there is another gear or two that the team can reach.

Here is everything he had to say in his press conference.

Arkansas has 73% chance to beat South Carolina according to ESPN’s Football Power Index

ESPN’s FPI is giving Arkansas a better chance to beat South Carolina this week than in their initial projection.

After taking care of then-No. 23 Cincinnati to open the season last Saturday, Arkansas will quickly have to move on to the next opponent as SEC play begins this week.

South Carolina will pay a visit to Fayetteville this Saturday to begin the SEC slate, which provides another challenge to Arkansas football. Despite welcoming a tough SEC foe, the ESPN Football Power Index still favors Arkansas heavily in the game.

According to the latest FPI, Arkansas has a 73.4% chance to beat South Carolina on Saturday which is higher than the 72.2% chance that ESPN gave Arkansas during the pregame assessment.

The Gamecocks opened their season by defeating Georgia State, 35-14 Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler had a disappointing debut for the Gamecocks, as he completed 22-of-36 passes for 218 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 111.80, which is the lowest in the SEC through week one. He also rushed for -12 yards in South Carolina’s win.

Arkansas is coming off of a hard-hitting affair with Cincinnati. The Razorbacks led Cincinnati 14-0 at halftime but would battle their way to a 31-24 victory. Quarterback [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] was 18-of-26 for 223 yards and two touchdowns, while [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] tallied 117 yards on 20 carries.

Arkansas faces South Carolina this Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN.

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SEC power rankings after Week 1: Who earns the top spot?

SEC power rankings after an exciting Week 1. Who should be No. 1?

After an exciting opening weekend of college football, we have an idea of who are the top contenders for the 2022 season in the Southeastern Conference.

Week 1 of the regular season provided us with some extremely entertaining football, and the league’s slate of games was capped off by an epic battle between FSU and LSU. Florida showed the nation that it deserved more preseason love than it was given, beating Utah in an instant-classic. It may have not been terribly convincing, but Arkansas beat Cincinnati in what was a big win for the Razorbacks. Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss all won its cupcake games, but none were impressive enough to turn any heads.

And of course Georgia dominated Oregon, Alabama demolished Utah State and Texas A&M handled Sam Houston.

Here’s our updated SEC power rankings following Week 1:

QB Ranks: Where T.J. Finley stacks among fellow SEC quarterbacks through week one

Where does Finley’s performance in Auburn’s season-opening win over Mercer rank among fellow SEC quarterbacks?

Auburn Football used a two-quarterback system to defeat Mercer in week one, 42-16.

Early last week, head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] announced that [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] would take the opening snap of the season-opener. However, with the quarterback race being so tight throughout the summer, it was reported that Oregon transfer [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] would also see playing time against Mercer.

Both athletes did in fact get equal playing time in the win. Finley completed 9-of-14 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. His only fault was throwing two interceptions. As for Ashford, he completed 4-of-7 passes for an even 100 yards. He also showcased his wheels by rushing for an additional 68 yards, which was second-highest in the category behind Tank Bigsby’s 147-yard performance.

Now that week one’s games are officially over, it is time to compare Auburn’s quarterbacks to the rest of the SEC in the passer rating category.

The SEC is loaded with quarterback talent this season, and there were several performances over the weekend that supported the claim. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama, Bryce Young, had another strong outing for the Tide, while Will Rogers led Mississippi State’s air raid attack to a massive win over Memphis.

While Auburn used two quarterbacks in Saturday’s win, only Finley’s stats can be used in the SEC leaderboard, because Ashford did not attempt more than 10 passes in the Mercer game. However, if he were eligible to be included on the SEC’s top-passers list, he would rank No. 6 among active SEC quarterbacks with a rating of 177.1.

Now that every SEC team has a game under their belt (with the exception of Vanderbilt, who has played two games so far), here’s a look at the SEC’s top passers according to current passer rating:

Class of 2023 pledge JC Hart enjoys first Auburn game as a commit

Hart, a native of nearby Loachapoka, grew up attending Auburn home games. Saturday, he took in his first game as a commit.

Auburn’s recruiting efforts as far as quantity is slowly coming together. But, two things that head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] and other coaches have done well this cycle: bring in quality recruits and make sure that local recruits stay local.

One of those local commits, three-star cornerback [autotag]JC Hart[/autotag], was in attendance for Auburn’s season-opening win over Mercer on Saturday. While there, he did a short interview with Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente.

Hart, a product of nearby Loachapoka High School, told Clemente that he has attended many Auburn home games growing up, and used to beg his mother to take him joyriding to campus just to see Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Hart took in his first Auburn game as a commit on Saturday and says that it was an enjoyable experience.

“It’s been great,” Hart said. “I love everything about it.”

Hart was joined by fellow 2023 commits [autotag]Daquayvious Sorey[/autotag], [autotag]Karmello English[/autotag], and [autotag]Bradyn Joiner[/autotag] in Jordan-Hare Saturday. Those four took advantage of the third-quarter lightning delay by using that time to talk more to Auburn’s coaches. By spending time with current players, coaches, as well as fellow recruits, Hart says that he already feels a part of the team.

Hart has played a key role in Lochapoka’s early-season success. The Indians are currently 3-0 and have allowed just 12 points over that span. In last Friday’s win over Verbena High School, Hart recorded a 92-yard pick-six.

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Joel Klatt reveals his top 10 after college football opening Saturday

Joel Klatt’s top-ten…do you agree?

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt has revealed his top-ten teams in college football following the opening weekend of the season.

Week 1, though not over yet (Clemson vs. Georgia Tech on Monday), provided some great entertainment for fans.

With Georgia dominating Oregon, the Buckeyes beating Notre Dame and Florida’s close win over Utah, college football – and Georgia – fans got exactly what they asked for.

Here’s Klatt’s top-ten following the opening Saturday:

Social media reactions from morning after Florida’s upset win

No, it wasn’t a dream. Florida pulled off a big upset over No. 7 Utah Saturday night, and fans can’t get enough of the highlights from week one.

No, it wasn’t a dream. Florida really pulled off a 29-26 upset of the No. 7 Utah Utes Saturday night thanks to the heroics of [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and a timely interception from linebacker [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag].

A late-night win means that many in Gator Nation woke up to learn the good news, and those less tuned into the world of Florida football are starting to pay attention. Richardson made good on the preseason hype surrounding him and delivered three scores with his legs. He also provided the highlight play of the weekend, and people are still talking about it.

The Gators are 1-0 after week one, and there’s nothing to do but celebrate on Sunday. The team will lock into week two preparations on Monday and start planning for the Kentucky Wildcats. Until then, keep reliving the best moment from a great Saturday in the Swamp.

Here’s a look at the social media buzz the morning after Florida’s big win over Utah.

ESPN FPI updates game-by-game predictions for remaining Georgia football schedule

ESPN FPI updates Georgia’s game-by-game predictions

Georgia’s season-opener is in the book and it was a thing of beauty for the defending national champions, beating Oregon by a score of 49-3.

With a very navigable slate of games this year, Georgia of course will be favored in every regular season matchup it plays. 12-0 is the expected outcome for the Dawgs this year, not only by analysts but also by the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI).

Here is a look at Georgia’s chances of winning each game remaining on its schedule, according to the FPI: