Tag: T.D. Moultry

Malik Willis in line to start for Tennessee Titans on Sunday

The former Auburn quarterback could make his first NFL start on Saturday as the Titans play the Houston Texans.

A former Auburn Tiger is set to start in his first NFL game on Sunday.

According to a report from NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has battled an illness all week and missed Saturday’s walk-through ahead of the Titans’ game against the Houston Texans on Sunday. As a result, it appears that [autotag]Malik Willis[/autotag] will get his first professional start.

Willis was taken 86th overall by the Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. Willis has appeared in two games this season, completing one pass for six yards. He also has 16 yards on four carries.

Willis spent two seasons at Auburn before transferring to Liberty to finish his college career. In two seasons on the Plains, Willis completed 11-of-14 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for an additional 309 yards and two scores over a span of 15 games.

Willis was a three-star athlete out of Roswell High School as part of the 2017 recruiting class. He was a part of Auburn’s No. 10 ranked recruiting class, which donned the likes of [autotag]T.D. Moultry[/autotag], [autotag]K.J. Britt[/autotag], [autotag]Jarrett Stidham[/autotag], [autotag]Austin Troxell[/autotag], and [autotag]Big Kat Bryant[/autotag].

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Bryan Harsin updates status of Owen Pappoe and TD Moultry ahead of Geoegia game

Here are some updates from Coach Harsin.

Bryan Harsin is hopeful that Auburn starting linebacker Owen Pappoe will return to action this week, but the status of Pappoe is still unclear ahead of Auburn’s matchup with Georgia Saturday. 

Pappoe has missed the last two games against Georgia State and LSU after suffering an injury against Penn State. He is one of Auburn’s two permanent captains and was off to a strong start to the season before his injury, making 15 tackles before leaving with his injury. 

Whether he is able to play Saturday will be a game-time decision.

“I hope he does this week,” Harsin said. “I hope that he would’ve last week as well. It’s just — it kind of comes down to game time.”

Harsin was also unsure if T.D. Moultry will be available for Auburn Saturday. 

“I don’t know if T.D. will be here or not this week, and I’ll leave it at that,” he said. 

Moultry was not with the team in Baton Rouge on Saturday. He has been one of Auburn’s top pass rushers this season, his three sacks are tied for the team lead. He also has 23 tackles, six tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries.

Harsin was also asked about the health of running back Tank Bigsby, who has just 27 carries over the past two weeks. 

“Tank is fine,” Harsin said.

Auburn’s game against Georgia kicks off at 2:30 p.m. and will be on CBS.

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Auburn football stats worth watching through first three games

Here are some stats worth keeping an eye on.

Auburn is one-fourth of the way through their season and after a close loss to Penn State, they are now facing questions. 

The Tigers only have one game against an evenly matched opponent, but some interesting trends have already emerged from the beginning of the season.

Each game, we get a little bit more information about Bryan Harsin’s first team during his Auburn tenure. The Tigers are doing different things on both sides of the ball so there has been a lot of new trends to follow.

Here is a look at some stats worth monitoring as the season goes on. 

A confident T.D. Moultry is poised for his best season yet

What are your expectations for T.D. Moultry this season?

It has taken longer than expected but T.D. Moultry is playing at the level many hoped he would reach when he signed with Auburn back in 2017.

He flashed as an underclassman but struggled as an upperclassman and was jumped by younger players on the depth chart. However, the new coaching staff has given Moultry confidence in himself and he is now turning his potential into production.

Moultry had the best game of his career in the season-opening 60-10 win over Akron. The super senior totaled seven tackles and three tackles for loss in his first career start. He was named a rotating captain ahead of the week two matchup with Alabama State.

Moultry credits his increased confidence for the strong start to his season.

“I ain’t never seen it in myself, for real, and the confidence was never there,” Moultry said. “But now I’ve got the confidence, and I believe I can do all the positions, outside and inside as well.”

Despite last Saturday being his first career start, Moultry was not nervous Saturday, something he admitted he has experienced in the past due to a lack of preparation.

“Years in the past, I was nervous the day before because I wasn’t prepared,” Moultry said. “When I walked on the field, that’s when the nerves kicked in just a little bit, the day before the game, throughout before the game. It wasn’t any nervousness before I got on the field (Saturday).”

The early-season success has been nice but Moulrtry is far from satisfied, saying he wants to be a captain again and become Auburn’s best defensive lineman.

“Now, being at the peak of my highs, I understand being a captain so I just have to keep being a consistent player and person.”

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Ten takeaways from Auburn’s 60-10 win over Akron

Ten takeaways from Saturday night.

Auburn was in control the entire game against Akron. 

The Tigers wasted no time in asserting their dominance of the overmatched Zips, scoring touchdowns on their first five drives to take a commanding 37-0 lead into halftime. The starters scored one more touchdown in the third quarter before the reserves were able to get into the action.

As good as the offense was, the defense was just as good, holding the Zips to 212 yards and 10 points. 

Here are 10 takeaways from the game. 

2021 Auburn football player profile, overview: No. 99 T.D. Moultry

T.D. Moultry can make a big impact on Auburn’s new defense this season.

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Name: T.D. Moultry

Number: 99

Position: Edge

Class: Senior

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 253 lbs

Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama

High School: Jackson-Olin

2020 Statistics: 9 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1.0 TFL.

Twitter: @humble55_

Overview: Moultry is back for his super senior season and looking to close his Auburn career with his best season. That won’t be easy as he will be challenged by Dylan Brooks, Eku Leota, and Romello Height.

If Moultry can get off to a fast start in fall practices, then he will have a chance to cement himself as a primary edge option and become the type of player who can take Auburn’s defense up a level. On paper, the new defensive scheme benefits his skill set and a strong season could help Moultry make it to the NFL.

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Auburn Spring Football: Linebackers primed for another big season

Auburn’s linebacker corps featuring Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain should be one of the top units in the SEC.

Linebacker was one of the strengths of the defense a season ago and with the return of Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain, the corps could be even better in 2021.

The group will be without team leader K.J. Britt and is now under the tutelage of new defensive coordinator Derek Mason and position coaches Jeff Schmedding and Bert Watts but has the talent and depth to help lead Auburn’s new-look defense. 

Projected depth chart

Outside linebacker

T.D. Moultry, senior, nine tackles in 11 games.

Cam Riley, sophomore, nine tackles in 11 games, made one start.

Inside linebacker

Zakoby McClain, senior, led the SEC with 113 tackles, three sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, started nine games and played in all 11.

Chandler Wooten, senior, opted out of the 2020 season.

Inside linebacker 

Owen Pappoe, junior, 93 tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss, started all 11 games.

Wesley Steiner, sophomore, three tackles in nine games.

Departed: 

K.J. Britt, graduated, 23 tackles, one tackle for loss, started two games before injury ended season

Outlook:

Auburn’s linebacker group was without two critical players last season after Chandler Wooten opted out and Britt suffered an injury early in the season but they were still one of the best in the SEC.

This was thanks to the stellar play of McClain and Pappoe and why expectations for the group are once again so high.

McClain emerged as one of the best linebackers in the SEC, leading the conference and tying for the FBS lead in tackles with 113 tackles. After not making any of the All-SEC teams, he is ready to prove himself even more in his senior campaign.

Pappoe has emerged as one of the most versatile players on the defense, creating pressure whenever he is sent on blitzes and has the speed to drop back into coverage.

His versatility should mesh well with Mason’s system which will ask Pappoe to do a little bit of everything.

The duo will be backed up by Wooten and Wesley Steiner. Wooten is returning after opting out a season ago and will provide some more experience after appearing in 45 games throughout his career. Steiner played in nine games as a freshman and should see his role continue to grow.

T.D. Moultry appears to be playing the edge rusher/outside linebacker role and the new staff will look to get the most out of him after he has struggled with injuries, penalties and inconsistent play held him back under the previous staff. Moultry has the ability to play inside and outside so he could see snaps at several different positions along the front seven.  

Riley played in nine games as a true freshman and has the potential to play inside linebacker or along the outside. With Pappoe and McClain clogging up the middle a move outside would seem to be a good way to get the talented Riley onto the field.