Tag: tank bigsby

Doug Pederson on Jags’ running game in 2024: ‘We have to get Tank going, bottom line’

Doug Pederson says Tank Bigsby is “too good” to not be on the field more for the Jaguars.

Earlier in the offseason, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said he wants to “knock the reps down” for Travis Etienne Jr. after the running back finished third in the NFL in touches. The solution sounds like it’ll be a lot more opportunities for 2023 third-round pick Tank Bigsby.

“We have to get Tank going, bottom line,” Pederson said in March. “He is too good — that’s why we drafted him. I think early he had some ‘what is that?’-type plays for whatever reason, right or wrong. Again, in and out of the lineup. He is a young player that we’re excited about. Like we talked about last year, we take some burden off of Etienne a little bit, keep him healthy for the remainder of the season.”

Bigsby had seven carries and one passing target in the Jaguars’ Week 1 game against the Indianapolis Colts. But a mental error by the rookie in his debut resulted in a fumble that was returned for a go-ahead touchdown by the Colts, forcing the Jaguars to pull off a fourth-quarter comeback.

After that, Bigsby had no more than three rushing attempts in the Jaguars’ next eight games. That stretch included another fumble in Jacksonville’s October game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and an interception that bounced off Bigsby’s hands against the San Francisco 49ers.

By the end of the year, Bigsby had 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 50 attempts.

So far in the 2024 offseason, the Jaguars haven’t done anything to change up their running backs room. They brought back D’Ernest Johnson on another one-year deal and didn’t acquire any additional talent at the position. While there’s still a chance the Jaguars will add a back in the 2024 NFL draft, it sure looks like Jacksonville is planning big things for Bigsby.

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Auburn adds Mercer to 2025 schedule

The first meeting between Auburn and Mercer since 2022, and the 14th overall, will take place next season.

Auburn football has rounded out its 2025 schedule by adding an FCS program to the docket.

It was announced Thursday that Auburn will face Mercer in November 2025, rounding out its nonconference slate. Auburn will also play Ball State and South Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium as part of its non-SEC schedule and will travel to Waco, Texas to battle Baylor in the season opener on Aug. 30.

Next season’s meeting will be the 14th overall between the Tigers and Bears dating back to the days of the old Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. These two teams played 11 times from 1896 to 1922, and have played twice since Mercer re-instated its football program in 2014.

Auburn last faced Mercer in 2022, winning, 42-16. The Tigers jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the 2nd quarter before Mercer ended the shutout with a late 2nd quarter touchdown. [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] each scored a touchdown in the second half to secure the win.

Auburn is 13-0 all-time vs. Mercer.

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USC EDGE, former Tiger Romello Height enters transfer portal

A member of Auburn’s 2020 haul, Height is seeking other opportunities following a two-year stay at USC.

A member of Auburn’s 2020 recruiting haul is exploring new opportunities.

[autotag]Romello Height[/autotag], a former four-star EDGE who signed with Auburn during the 2020 recruiting cycle, announced Friday that he is entering the transfer portal after spending two seasons at USC.

He played in nine games in two seasons at Auburn, recording 18 total tackles. His best games in an Auburn uniform took place during the 2021 season against Alabama State and Arkansas when he made four stops each.

His most productive season at USC was in 2023, where he competed in 11 games and recorded 20 tackles. Six of those tackles were for a loss. He recorded a season-high five tackles in the Trojans’ win over Arizona State on Sept. 23. He also recorded two tackles for loss, and recovered a fumble.

Height was a part of Auburn’s 2020 class that ranked No. 8 in the nation and turned out to be the final signing class under former head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag]. He was the No. 16 recruit of Auburn’s 27-member signing class. Several headliners of the class include [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag] and [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and several who transferred away from the program such as [autotag]Kobe Hudson[/autotag], [autotag]JJ Pegues[/autotag], and [autotag]LaDarrius Tennison[/autotag].

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Cadillac Williams resigns from position as Auburn’s associate head coach

The former Auburn running back resigns after spending five seasons as an assistant coach under three different head coaches.

The latest move regarding Auburn’s coaching staff involves a program legend.

[autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], who played for Auburn from 2001-04 and served as an assistant coach for his alma mater over the last five seasons, resigned from his position as associate head coach and running backs coach late Thursday evening.

Williams shared his reasoning for the move in a press release. He says that he is looking to pursue other opportunities.

“After taking time to pray and reflect, I have made the decision to resign from my position with Auburn football to pursue other opportunities. I love Auburn, the players and AU family with all my heart, but this decision is what is best for me, my wife and sons. I am extremely grateful for the coaching opportunity given to me first by Coach Malzahn and most recently by Coach Freeze. These past five years on the Plains have been nothing short of incredible. Auburn is and always will be a special part of my life.”

War Eagle!

Williams first joined Auburn’s football staff during the 2019 season under head coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag], and would go on to serve on the staffs of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] and [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. Following the firing of Harsin during the 2022 season, Williams was named interim head coach. During his time as interim, Williams led the Tigers to a 2-2 record which included an emotional home win over Texas A&M.

Williams is also known as an effective recruiter, as he played a role in landing running backs [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. He was also the primary recruiter for offensive linemen [autotag]Clay Wedin[/autotag] and [autotag]Bradyn Joiner[/autotag].

Williams’ resignation marks the fourth assistant coach to leave the staff since the offseason began. Defensive coordinator [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag] is now a member of the staff at Florida while defensive backs coach [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] has joined Mike Elko’s staff at Texas A&M. Auburn has also parted ways with offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag].

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Malcolm Johnson Jr. announces transfer destination

The former Auburn wide receiver reveals his transfer destination on Christmas Day.

A former Auburn wide receiver used Christmas Day to reveal his transfer destination.

[autotag]Malcolm Johnson Jr.[/autotag], who played three seasons at Auburn before entering the transfer portal earlier this month, announced Monday that he will transfer to Bowling Green.

Johnson signed with Auburn as a four-star wide receiver for the 2020 class, joining athletes such as [autotag]Wesley Steiner[/autotag], [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], [autotag]Cam Riley[/autotag], and [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag] as members of Auburn’s No. 8 ranked class. He was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports, and was the No. 4 overall prospect from Virginia.

Johnson never became a consistent member of the receiver rotation, as he made just 14 catches for 199 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons on the Plains. The 2023 season was his best, as he recorded 89 yards on six catches. He appeared in five games in 2023, and his most productive game was in Auburn’s season-opening win over UMass, where he caught two passes for 59 yards.

Johnson joined four other Auburn receivers by joining the transfer portal this month. The Tigers will look to revamp the unit and boost production in 2024.

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Auburn in the NFL: Week 13 Recap

Auburn alumni were relatively quiet in NFL Week 13.

The NFL season is winding down to the final weeks.

As we do every week, Auburn Wire will take a look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

NFL Week 13 was yet another quiet week for former Tigers, but there were some noteworthy storylines nonetheless.

[autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] helped the Cardinals upset the Steelers, [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] made two field goals on Sunday Night Football, [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] may see an increased workload after Trevor Lawrence’s injury, and [autotag]Carlton Davis[/autotag] helped the Bucs take down [autotag]Derrick Brown[/autotag]’s Panthers.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 13 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Travis Etienne defends Tank Bigsby: ‘I was in that same situation’

Travis Etienne still thinks rookie running back Tank Bigsby has a bright future ahead.

Tank Bigsby’s rookie year hasn’t gone as planned. While the Jacksonville Jaguars’ third round pick scored two touchdowns in his first three games, he was also directly responsible for two turnovers in his NFL debut.

Those ball security issues haven’t gone away. Bigsby fumbled against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8 and a ball bounced off his hands for an interception last week against the San Francisco 49ers. There may have been a little too much heat on the throw from Trevor Lawrence, but Bigsby hasn’t done much to earn the benefit of the doubt.

Travis Etienne Jr. is still convinced Bigsby has a bright future, though.

“I feel like I was in that same situation last year,” Etienne said Monday. “You just have to weather the storm. In the NFL, I learned last year that you can’t get too high and you can’t get too low. It’s a week-to-week thing, all you got to do is go out there and make a play and nobody is even worried about Tank missing the ball.

“Just get out of his head, block out the outside noise and just be who he is. We all know Tank is a talented kid and we all know he’s a great football player. He’s just got to go out there and just show that and be himself.”

Etienne missed his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury. In his first actual year on the field, the 2021 first-round pick fumbled five times, second most in the NFL among running backs.

This season, Etienne has 189 touches, third most in the NFL through 10 weeks, and hasn’t fumbled once.

Bigsby, 22, has just 27 touches so far (26 rushing attempts, one reception), but has fumbled twice and had two passes bounce off his hands for interceptions. The question now is whether he’ll get a chance, as Etienne said, to “weather the storm” in the last eight weeks of the season.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the rookie is more or less shelved while D’Ernest Johnson gets more touches as the reliever for Etienne. The former Cleveland Browns running back, who was signed by the Jaguars as a free agent earlier this year, made the most of his five touches in Week 10, producing 40 yards from scrimmage.

Bigsby may require patience and reps to develop into a player the Jaguars can rely upon. That might not be a luxury the Jaguars can afford while in the midst of a playoff race.

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Studs and duds in Jaguars’ 34-3 loss in Week 10 to 49ers

It was a rough day for almost every Jaguars player Sunday against the 49ers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t think they came out flat against the San Francisco 49ers. They simply got dominated.

“That’s what’s most frustrating is when you play like this and you can’t point to something during the week,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said after the game. “I thought we had a great week of practice, we had the right mindset, obviously there was some disconnect at some point to play that way, but I thought the energy was really good.

“We were all amped to play we knew this was a big game, knew this was a good team coming in here and we felt like we could take advantage of this opportunity and beat a good team and we didn’t. We played our worse game of the year.”

So who deserves the blame for the embarrassing 34-3 loss? And which players did alright, despite the lopsided score? Here are some studs and duds from the Jaguars’ Week 10 blowout loss:

5 Jaguars players who underachieved in the first half of 2023

These five Jaguars players are off to a slower start in 2023 than expected.

The way the Jacksonville Jaguars ended last season, it wasn’t hard to understand why there were high expectations in Duval — for both the team and several individual players, alike.

The Jaguars ended the regular season with five straight wins and beat the Los Angeles Chargers in dramatic fashion in the playoffs. Going into the 2023 season, more of the same was expected.

The Jaguars have started the season with a 6-2 record, but despite the impressive record, they haven’t gotten what they were expecting from a few players.

Here are the Jaguars’ five biggest underachievers through the first half of 2023:

Gallery: The best images from Auburn’s road win at Vanderbilt

With Saturday’s win, Auburn is now one step closer to bowl eligibility.

The Auburn Tigers earned a massive win on Saturday by defeating Vanderbilt, 31-15. The win greatly improves Auburn’s chances of earning a bowl bid, as they are now 5-4 on the season.

Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] continued to find his stride on Saturday by rushing for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns. Out of those 183, 121 of those yards came in the first quarter, which makes him the first Auburn running back to rush for over 100 yards in one quarter since [autotag]Tank Bigsby [/autotag] rushed for 106 against Arkansas during the 2020 season according to Auburn Athletics.

Defensively, DJ James led the team in tackles with seven. which is a career-high.

There were plenty of exciting moments that took place during the game. Here are the best photos from Auburn’s victory in Nashville.