Tag: Robby Ashford

Instant Analysis: Auburn has no answer for Jayden Daniels, LSU offense

Auburn could not keep up with LSU’s high-octane offense in their 48-18 loss on Saturday night.

The final game between Auburn and No. 20 LSU for the foreseeable future could not have gone more horribly for the orange-and-blue-clad Tigers.

Auburn struggled to keep up with LSU’s high-octane offense as they were outgained 563-293 in their 48-14 loss to the Bayou Bengals at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Auburn had to pluck many thorns out of its side on Saturday night, but the biggest of all was LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who accounted for 418 total yards and three touchdowns. He connected with eight different receivers, with his top targets being Malik Nabors and Kyren Lacy. Nabors hauled in six passes for 89 yards, while Lacy reeled in 111 receiving yards on four catches.

Auburn struggled in the passing game on Saturday, as [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was able to connect on just 55% of his passes. [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] completed three of four passes for 52 yards. All three of Ashford’s completions were to tight end [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag]. The visiting Tigers gained 139 yards of rushing, with neither of Auburn’s five rushers gaining more than 69 yards a piece.

Defensively, [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] led the team in tackles with 12.

LSU struck first on a Daniels touchdown pass to Nabors with 13:21 remaining in the first quarter. The scoring drive ended quickly, as it needed just four plays and 75 yards to complete.

After an Auburn punt, LSU used an 11-play drive to extend their lead to 10-0. Damian Ramos’ 30-yard field goal capped a 66-yard drive with 6:39 remaining in the opening quarter.

The final score of the first quarter came with 2:15 remaining when LSU running back John Emery Jr. scored from two yards away to extend the Bayou Bengals’ lead to 17-0. LSU outgained Auburn, 216-45 in the first quarter, and split their passing and rushing output in half, gaining 109 yards in both categories.

Auburn’s luck quickly changed, as they were the first team to score in the second quarter. Auburn completed an eight-play, 75-yard drive that began in the 1st quarter with a two-yard rush by [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag]. Auburn cut into LSU’s lead, 17-7, with 14:22 remaining in the first half.

LSU scored on its fourth possession with 10:21 remaining in the half thanks to Ramos’ second field goal of the game. He connected on a 35-yard field goal to extend LSU’s lead to 20-7. That score would hold as both teams entered the locker room at halftime.

Auburn’s first drive of the second half had promise but fizzled out at the LSU 20-yard line. Auburn drove 55 yards in seven plays, but Ashford was sacked on third down, which forced them to kick a field goal. [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] connected on a 38-yard field goal to trim LSU’s lead to 20-10 with 11:35 to go in the 3rd quarter.

As LSU has repeatedly done, they responded to Auburn’s score with one of their own. Following Auburn’s field goal, Daniels tossed his second touchdown pass of the game with 8:00 remaining in the 3rd quarter. His connection with Kyren Lacy pushed LSU ahead, 27-10.

It would not take long for LSU to extend their lead. Five minutes after linking with Lacy, Daniels threw his third touchdown pass of the night to Josh Williams to push the LSU lead to 34-10 late in the 3rd quarter.

Auburn’s 4th quarter started similarly to its 2nd quarter, with a quick touchdown. Ashford connected with Frazier for the third time with 14:56 remaining in the game, but the first for a score. The three-yard score cut into LSU’s lead, 34-18.

LSU’s next score came with 8:51 remaining in the game. Running back Logan Diggs scored his first touchdown of the game from five yards out to extend the Tigers’ lead to 41-18. Diggs ended the game with 97 yards on 18 carries. The final blow would come with 2:28 remaining in the game when Josh Daniels ran one yard to push the lead to 48-18.

Auburn’s hunt for its first SEC win of the season will continue next week at Jordan-Hare Stadium when the Tigers host No. 13 Ole Miss. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be televised by ESPN.

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Hugh Freeze is not giving up on Payton Thorne yet

Freeze has pledged to better prepare Thorne for SEC competition going forward.

Auburn’s offense has not gotten off to as hot of a start as most had hoped, especially with the likes of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] running the offense.

Starting quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has recorded 100 or more yards just twice this season and has been yanked in favor of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] or [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] in several games.

According to stats from Pro Football Focus, Auburn receivers have not dropped a pass this season despite Thorne only completing 65% of his passes. He has also been pressured 21 times with 11 of those pressures ending in sacks.

Freeze was asked about the possibility of switching quarterbacks for the team’s upcoming game with Georgia. He says that he is sticking with Thorne for now, but Geriner could see more action following the bye week, which is scheduled for next weekend.

During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Freeze took accountability for Thorne’s play so far and said that Thorne has acknowledged his struggles as well.

“We’re asked to be psychologists along with being a coach. I feel like there’s things our staff has let him down on. Some of it is him, and he knows that and owns it,” Freeze said. “But I promised him we’d do a better job coaching him this week and preparing him and when you say coaching him, that also means the other positions that need to be in the right spots at the right times. At the same time, if you’ve got a wheel route that’s wide-open, you’ve got to hit it.”

It appears that Thorne is getting one last chance to prove his worth, and Freeze is going to work harder to make him more comfortable in Auburn’s offensive scheme. He hopes to see the adjustment pay off soon.

“This thing’s got to turn into a positive vibe somehow,” Freeze said. “And it takes some mental toughness to do that on (Thorne’s) part and our part. In the coming weeks, we need to see some progress.”

Thorne’s next chance to put it all together will be Saturday at 2:30 when the Tigers host No. 1 Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Charles Barkley weighs in on Auburn’s quarterback struggles

One of Auburn’s most beloved alumni has something to say regarding the “most important position in sports.”

There is no doubt that the quarterback position is the unit that has experienced the most struggle through the first four games of the 2023 season.

Auburn’s Payton Thorne has thrown for over 100 yards just twice this season, and zero Auburn quarterbacks have thrown for over 100 yards against a Power Five opponent since the loss to Arkansas on Oct. 29 of last season.

The strain of quarterback play to Auburn’s success has called for one of the University’s most beloved alumni to share his take on the matter.

Charles Barkley, former NBA star and current analyst for NBA broadcasts on TNT, joined Birmingham sports talk show The Next Round to discuss his thoughts on Auburn football to this point of the season.

He referenced Hugh Freeze’s role in a mass baptism that took place on campus two weeks ago when discussing his alma mater’s quarterback play.

“If y’all gonna be down there baptizing people, please pray for better quarterback play,” Barkley said. “Let’s get these three quarterbacks and baptize them and maybe the Lord can make them play better.”

Barkley went on to provide an honest analysis of Auburn’s quarterbacks and declared what he would do if he were in Freeze’s shoes.

“Because the one thing you can’t do as a coach, you can’t have your quarterback playing scared,” Barkley said. “You can’t have your quarterback playing scared or looking over his shoulders. You can’t play three quarterbacks, you can’t play two quarterbacks. Because that’s the most important position in sports, but the number one thing you have to have as a player is confidence in yourself to make good plays and bad plays. If you are scared to make bad plays you can’t make good plays, and right now they are in no man’s land.”

Auburn quarterbacks [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] have combined to complete 60-of-101 passes for 693 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions. The next opportunity for them to improve their numbers will be Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT against Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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How Auburn’s offense compares to the rest of the SEC after Week 4

Auburn’s offense has struggled to start the season outside of one area.

The Auburn Tigers are 3-1 to start the [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] era but the schedule is about to get a whole lot tougher now that SEC play has started.

That was shown last week when the Tigers lost 27-10 to the Texas A&M Aggies. Their next three games are against Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss, all of whom are ranked inside the top 20 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.

While Auburn has just one loss so far, they had a close call against Cal and the offense has not exactly inspired confidence. Starting quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has completed 65% of his passes against Power Five opponents and [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] hasn’t looked great in his opportunities either.

One area that has shined has been the running backs, led by [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] they give Auburn one of the deepest rooms in the conference, although that will be tested by Damari Alston’s shoulder injury.

Here is a look at how Auburn’s offense compares to the rest of the SEC and the nation in several key areas.

Hugh Freeze press conference review: Georgia week

Freeze hit on a number of topics including his thoughts on the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Kirby Smart’s success, and quarterback play. 

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] returned to the podium to address the media following his team’s 27-10 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday and spent time sharing his thoughts ahead of Saturday’s game with Georgia.

One of the main points of emphasis in Monday’s presser was quarterbacks. Starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] passes for less than 100 yards for the second-straight game and has failed to consistently complete 75% or more of his passes. Backup [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] has gotten looks, but he has not won the battle over Thorne yet.

Third-stringer [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] played several snaps in the Texas A&M game, could he potentially start Saturday against Georgia? Freeze shut down that possibility Monday but described the diagram for Geriner to get more looks.

“I think Holden, if he ends up at some point being the guy, he must have a lot of reps. I love the way he seemed poised. His throws were inaccurate. Two balls out of bounds. He threw one really good one. Really, he was about 1-for-5 in accuracy. We are talking about a guy that we haven’t given quality reps. I think he, with the quality reps, could be more accurate. He has the quickest release. He stands tall in the pocket, and I don’t remember him having an enormous amount of pressure around him at that time, so that remains to be seen. Something that we must look at during the off week. I have a lot of things; I have a whole list that I have formulated.”

Freeze hit on a number of topics including his thoughts on the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Kirby Smart’s success, and his view on playcalling.

Here’s a rundown of everything Hugh Freeze said during his Georgia week press conference on Monday.

Top plays from Auburn’s 27-10 loss to Texas A&M

The Auburn Tigers lost its first game of the season in week four. Still, there were plays that deserved recognition.

The Auburn Tigers dropped their first game of the season on Saturday in embarrassing fashion, losing to conference rival Texas A&M 27-10.

The Tigers offense sputtered, as starting quarterback Payton Thorne threw for only 44 yards before being benched in the third quarter in favor of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag].

The running game was adequate, but no one could really get anything going besides Junior running back [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag], who accounted for over 25% of Auburn’s total offensive output.

The defense continued their solid play however, as they not only scored the Tiger’s lone touchdown but also held A&M to 193 pass yards and 27 points.

Both of those numbers are well below the Aggies season averages of 301 and 40, respectively.

Despite the ugly effort Auburn did have some plays that are worth mentioning.

Here are the top four.

Auburn ‘searching’ for answers on offense after latest poor showing

Auburn’s offense has struggled in its two games against Power Five opponents.

For the second time this season Auburn faced off with a Power Five opponent and for a second time the offense was shut down.

Unlike the game against Cal, Auburn’s defense was unable to keep them in the game as Texas A&M pulled away in the second half to win 27-10.

The Tigers came into the game with some offensive momentum after dominating an overmatched Samford, scoring 48 points and averaging 7.1 yards per play. The question was if Auburn would be able to do that against an extremely talented Aggies defense. That question was answered early and was a resounding no.

Auburn punted on their first four drives of the game and [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] didn’t complete his first pass until there was 14:52 left in the second quarter.

Thorne finished the day with just six passes for 44 yards before he was pulled for [autotag]Robby Ashford [/autotag]in the third quarter.

“We had people open,” [autotag]Hugh Freeze [/autotag]said postgame. “And we either missed them, or the pressure distracted us, it seemed. I’ve got to watch the film and see exactly what was going on to cause that. But we certainly missed a few opportunities in the passing game. … We just weren’t efficient at all in throwing the ball to open receivers when we had them, for whatever reason. It could have been pressure but we will have to look at all of it to see, we were certainly struggling with that aspect of the game.”

A major reason for Auburn’s struggles was the Tigers’ inability to handle the talented Texas A&M defensive line. The line failed to give Thorne time to make a play and he didn’t help himself as he struggled to recognize the pressure coming off the edge.

“I thought we did a decent job picking it up,” Freeze said. “It just seemed to distract our eyes from staying downfield and the throws we might have had.”

Thorne was ultimately sacked five times in the game and never looked like he was comfortable. Ashford managed one solid drive in relief before he was tackled for a loss and a holding penalty knocked them out of field goal range.

The Auburn offense finished the game with 200 total yards and in their two games against Power Five opponents is averaging 12 points and 200 yards per game.

Thorne and Ashford have combined to go 17-of-33 (51.5%) for 142 yards and two touchdowns against Power Five opponents with two turnovers and seven sacks. It will only get tougher as Auburn is now in SEC play and can expect to play some of the most talented teams in the country on a weekly basis.

“Offensively, we’re searching,” Freese admitted. “And we’ve got to find some answers.”

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Gallery: The best photos from Auburn’s 27-10 Loss to Texas A&M

The Auburn Tigers dropped their first game of the season on Saturday, losing to Texas A&M. Here are some of the best photos from the game.

The Auburn Tigers dropped their first game of the season on Saturday, losing to Texas A&M 27-10 in College Station.

The offense struggled all game long, not finding the end zone once. Starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] looked rattled from the jump, completing 6/12 passes for 44 yards in the losing effort.

Thorne was benched early in the second half in favor of [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], who looked decent for the Tigers.

Ashford led a decent drive in the fourth quarter that eventually got derailed due to a sack and a holding penalty.

In total, he completed 1 pass for 4 yards and ran for 25 yards on 8 carries.

Auburn’s lone touchdown on the day came on a scoop and score by defensive star, and Auburn’s best player this season, [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag].

Here are some of the best photos from the Tiger’s losing effort.

 

 

Social Media reacts to Auburn’s disappointing showing vs. Texas A&M

Auburn fans had plenty to say after their first loss of the season.

Auburn (3-1) was hoping to make a statement in their SEC opener against Texas A&M and for a half they were able to keep it close before the Aggies’ took over in the third quarter and went on to win 27-10.

Auburn’s defense shut down the Aggies’ offense in the first half but got no help from their own offense, Auburn averaged just 3.5 yards per play in the first half.

It wasn’t any better in the second half and Auburn decided to turn to [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] to spark the offense. While he led one good drive, it stalled out when he was tackled for a loss and Auburn was flagged for a penalty.

Auburn fans took to social media to react to the game and had plenty to say about the performance, here are the top reactions.

Brian’s Column: Auburn’s running game needs to show up against Texas A&M

The Auburn Tigers have gotten off to an undefeated start this season, but the running game has struggled. It needs to be better on Saturday.

For the past decade, the Auburn football offense has run through the running game.

The best player on the offensive side of the ball for the Tigers has always been their running back, whether it’s [autotag]Tank Bigbsy[/autotag], [autotag]Kerryon Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Cameron-Artis Payne[/autotag], or Tre Mason, the offense has literally run on running the ball.

This year that has not been the case. The team’s leading rusher through three weeks is quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag].

The team’s leader in rushing touchdowns is backup quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag]

In a year in which starting running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] was voted to the preseason All-SEC team, he has rushed for a grand total of 90 yards and 1 touchdown in non-conference play.

If Hugh Freeze’s team is going to be successful in SEC play, the running backs are going to have to start running the ball and running it well.

This week Auburn travels to play a familiar opponent, the Texas A&M Aggies, who are currently giving up just over 4 yards per carry on the ground.

Auburn’s running backs are averaging 4.3, and that number dips almost below 4 if you take away long touchdown runs by [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Jackson[/autotag] against UMass.

That is simply not good enough for a team that has issues throwing the ball as well. This week the Tigers are going to have to score points against an A&M offense that averages 44 points per game.

If Thorne and the receivers falter in the passing game, the running game has to pick them up.

While Payton Thorne ran free last week, it was mostly due to him being a superior athlete against FCS competition. The run game needs to be more fundamentally sound against A&M and avoid sequences like the one below.

This sequence is downright brutal from first to fourth down.

Auburn tries to run an outside concept on first down, and it get’s completely blown up. The line of scrimmage immediately shifts to the Auburn backfield, and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] is left with little to do but string out the run as long as he can before hoping a hole develops.

It does not, and Auburn is left with a second and long.

Now for second down.

Everything about this play is executed perfectly besides the most important part.

#77 [autotag]Jeremiah Wright[/autotag] and #72 [autotag]Izavion Miller[/autotag] execute their pulls perfectly, and have the edge completely locked up for Payton Thorne to follow them to the endzone.

Wide receiver #0 [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] does his part as well, taking his defender completely out of the would-be-play.

This should have been 6 points for Auburn. Instead, [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] handed the ball off and the Tigers gained one yard.

Fourth down is just as bad as first and second. Just like they did on the outside run, the Auburn lines gets bullied on this inside run, leaving [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] with nowhere to go.

Auburn had many drives similar to this one during their 45-13 win last week. They were able to get away with it because of their talent,

That won’t be the case this week.

If Auburn is going to win as 8-point underdogs, the running game has to show up. The offensive line and running backs need to take some of the pressure off of Payton Thorne.

We’ll see if they can when the Tigers kick off SEC play Saturday at 11 CST.

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