Tag: Shug Jordan

How quickly can Hugh Freeze bring Auburn back to standard? ESPN weighs in

Freeze is on the right track to turning Auburn around. But how long will it take to show on the field?

After firing head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] after going 68-35 in eight seasons, Auburn felt that [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] would be an acceptable alternative.

The decision seemed to backfire, as Auburn fired Harsin just 21 games into his tenure. He finished 9-12 after a solid start which saw Auburn reach 6-2 in 2021. Harsin would lose the final five games of that season, and would only manage to win three games in 2022 before getting the can.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly pointed out that six of the preceding head coaches following the [autotag]Shug Jordan[/autotag] era had at least one top-15 finish and a run of success before being fired. That streak ended with Harsin.

Now it is time for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] to lead the program. How long will it take for him to turn things around? Connelly weighs in.

Connelly believes that Auburn made the right move by hiring Freeze due to his success against Auburn’s main rivals, Alabama and Georgia, during his time at Ole Miss. Not only that, but he has a proven track record of producing explosive offenses and winning recruiting battles.

While there is no accurate way to forecast Freeze’s overall success, Connelly believes that he will be off to a great start in 2023.

A soft nonconference slate should assure bowl eligibility or something close, but it’s still hard to tell how many games Auburn might win in Freeze’s first season. The roster had to be spackled together after imbalance and attrition issues. Auburn’s 2022 offense could only run, so Freeze brought in Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and five receiver transfers. The offensive line lost six of last year’s top seven, so he inked four transfers there. The run defense was dreadful, so he signed nine defensive line and linebacker transfers.

Freeze is one of two first-year head coaches that will navigate the SEC this season. Mississippi State named defensive coordinator Zach Arnett as its permanent head coach following the unfortunate passing of head coach Mike Leach.

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How Auburn’s win over Texas A&M affects its place in latest ESPN FPI rankings

Auburn rises in several categories, but not in the overall ESPN Football Power Index ranking.

Auburn claimed a spot in the win column on Saturday for the first time in almost two months last Saturday, when they defeated Texas A&M, 13-10 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn rode its momentum from the near win at Mississippi State two weeks ago into the game and came away with the win. The win was historic, as it marked the first victory under interim head coach [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag]. He became the first former Auburn player to lead his alma mater to a win since [autotag]Shug Jordan[/autotag] in 1951.

How did the win over Texas A&M affect the Tigers’ place in the latest ESPN Football Power Index ranking? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Auburn saw a rise in strength of record, overall efficiency, and defensive efficiency, but dropped in the overall rankings.

Here is a look at Auburn’s placement in the latest ESPN Football Power Index.

Georgia to honor legendary coach, former Auburn player on Saturday

Georgia will honor its’ winningest coach in program history on Saturday, who happened to be a former quarterback for Auburn.

On Saturday, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs will honor a legendary figure in their program’s history.

[autotag]Vince Dooley[/autotag], the former Auburn quarterback who became the winningest coach in Georgia Football history, passed away on Oct. 28. To pay tribute to his legacy, Georgia will wear commemorative patches on its’ jersey for the game with No. 3 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

Dooley led Georgia to 201 victories and six SEC titles from 1964-88 and was the head coach for the Bulldogs’ National Championship team in 1980. Several players that Dooley coached at Georgia include wide receiver Lindsay Scott, defensive end Freddie Gilbert, and Heisman Trophy-winning running back Herschel Walker.

Dooley played for head coach [autotag]Shug Jordan[/autotag] from 1951-53. While there, Dooley threw for 699 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 340 yards and three touchdowns over his three-year career. He earned a degree in Business Management from Auburn in 1954 and earned a masters in History from Auburn in 1963.

Prior to his long coaching and administration career at Georgia, Dooley served as quarterbacks coach at Auburn from 1956-63.

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Statues of Shug Jordan, Cliff Hare and Pat Dye to be unveiled Friday

This is going to be AUsome.

Statues of Auburn football icons Shug Jordan, Cliff Hare, and Pat Dye will be unveiled Friday at 3 p.m. CT outside the southwest corner of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Prior to the unveiling, former players will share memories of Jordan and Dye. Former Auburn director of athletics David Housel will speak on Hare’s importance to Auburn football.

“Coach Jordan, Coach Dye and Dean Cliff Hare are most deserving of this esteemed honor,” said Allen Greene, AU’s athletic director “Their extraordinary contributions created the foundation on which Auburn’s football program has ascended. These statues will serve as visible reminders of their commitment to Auburn, inspiring the Auburn Family for generations.”

Hare was a member of Auburn’s first football team in 1892 and served as the first president of the Southern Athletic Conference, the precursor to the SEC. In 1949 the university changed the name of its home field from Auburn Stadium to Cliff Hare Stadium.

Jordan was a three-sport athlete at Auburn and coached the Tigers from 1951-75. He won a program record 176 games and the schools’ first national championship in 1957. In 1973 Auburn renamed its football facility “Jordan-Hare Stadium,” making Jordan the first active coach to have a stadium named after him. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

Dye was a two-time All-American at Georgia and the SEC Lineman of the Year in 1960. He coached Auburn from 1981-92. He won 99 games and four SEC championships. In his time as director of athletics, he helped expand Jordan-Hare Stadium and bring the Iron Bowl to Auburn’s campus in 1989. In 5005 he was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame and Auburn named its field “Pat Dye Field.”

Fans are invited to attend on a standing-room-only basis with seating reserved for families, former players, and dignitaries. In the event of rain, the program will move indoors to the Anderson-Thorne Tigers Den and be closed to the public, except for the unveiling outdoors, officials noted.

A familiar foe: Looking back at Auburn’s history versus Kentucky

Auburn has dominated the football series against Kentucky.

[jwplayer AWBAMRau]

The football series between the Auburn Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats may not be a deep-seated rivalry, but it does have a history that spans 86 years.

Auburn leads the series 26-6-1 and are currently riding a two-game win streak. The last time the Tigers lost to the Wildcats occurred at Auburn in 2009. The only time these two teams have ever tied each other occurred in 1955. Let’s take a look at the most important games of the series.

The first matchup ever: October 27, 1934 @ Lexington, Kentucky

If you’re reading this and you were alive in 1934, keep up the great work. If you weren’t alive in 1934 let me enrich your brain with some Auburn knowledge. It was not a great year for the Tigers. 1934 was Jack Meagher’s first year as both head coach and athletic director for Alabama Polytechnic Institute. The team went 2-8 that season with their only victories coming against Oglethorpe and Georgia Tech. The Wildcats defeated Auburn 9-0.

The craziest moment ever: October 9, 2010 @ Lexington, Kentucky

Obviously Auburn won this game because the 2010 Tigers went undefeated and won the National Championship. Oh, but that trip to then Commonwealth Stadium was not an easy one. The Tigers escaped with a 37-34 win, but not before Cam Newton could once again display to the world that well, he’s Cam Freakin’ Newton.

This was a play that would make Isaac Newton weep. Check this out.

Auburn’s largest margin of victory: 48-7 October 7, 1967 @ Auburn, Alabama

1967 marked Shug Jordan’s 17th season with the Tigers. In ’67 the Tigers would go 6-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play. This squad was a gritty bunch packed with loaded NFL potential.

Auburn center Forrest Blue was drafted 15th overall in the 1968 NFL Draft. Blue succumbed to complications from CTE on July 16, 2011 at the age of 65. In his NFL career Blue was voted as a 3x First team All-Pro player in 1971, 1972, and 1973. He was a 4x Pro Bowler from 1971-1974.

Auburn wide receiver Fred Hyatt was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 1968 NFL Draft.

Auburn center Tom Banks was drafted in the 8th round of the 1970 NFL Draft. He was a 4x Pro Bowler from 1975-1978 and participated in the 1976 All-Pro bowl.

Looking ahead to this year’s match-up:

Which big cat/Big Kat will have their day on Saturday? As of right now Auburn is a 10-point favorite. Some people think Auburn is on upset alert. Me personally? I’ll take any win I can get. This Kentucky team isn’t a bunch of push overs. Pandemic football, survive and advance. War Eagle.