Tag: war eagle

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Alabama-Auburn with Taylor Jones of Auburn Wire

Can Alabama get the season sweep of the Auburn Tigers? We go behind enemy lines with Taylor Jones of Auburn Wire to find out!

[autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the No. 2 Alabama men’s basketball team can capture the outright regular season SEC title with a win over arch-rival Auburn on Wednesday night.

Alabama (25-4, 15-1) has already defeated the Tigers once this season down on the Plains, but will now have an opportunity to complete the season sweep of Auburn in the confines of Coleman Coliseum.

While it appears the Crimson Tide are all but guaranteed a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Auburn still has some work to do to secure their ticket to the big dance.

Before Wednesday night’s matchup, I had a chance to catch up with Taylor Jones of Auburn Wire to get a preview of the SEC rival matchup on the hardwood.

Photo Gallery: Pregame sights ahead of Auburn vs. Penn State

Here are the best pregame images from Saturday’s game between Auburn and Penn State at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Campus has been buzzing all week in anticipation of this massive matchup between Auburn and Penn State. Today, the meeting finally takes place.

Auburn’s uniform of choice has been discussed all week after rumors of the team playing the game in orange jerseys to go along with the “All Auburn, All Orange” theme that encourages fans in attendance to wear orange to the game.

However, judging by early photos, the Tigers will play in their traditional navy jerseys over white pants. They will incorporate more orange into their look, however, as the orange facemasks that first appeared in last season’s game against Ole Miss will be worn with the usual white helmets.

Tiger Walk was electric, and the early scene inside Jordan-Hare Stadium is already invigorating. Here is a look at the pregame scene ahead of Saturday’s game between Auburn and Penn State on the Plains.

Birmingham radio hosts predict Auburn’s 2022 record

On Tuesday’s “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning”, hosts Cole Cubelic and Greg McElroy give Auburn more credit than their critics when predicting the Tigers 2022 record.

Auburn head football coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] has had to deal with this share of criticism this offseason from the national media. In turn, Auburn’s football program has received low expectations heading into the fall.

So when anyone shares a positive opinion about Auburn football, it usually goes a long way.

On the Tuesday edition of “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on Jox 94.5 in Birmingham, hosts Cole Cubelic and Greg McElroy made their predictions for Auburn’s 2022 record, with both predicting the Tigers to go 8-4.

Former Auburn lineman Cole Cubelic said that he thinks Auburn could win their first five games of the season, to which the McElroy, the former Alabama quarterback agreed by saying that it was “paramount.”

“If you got that, and then you drop the Georgia game, then I think you need to go 2-2 in the next 4,” Cubelic said. “Ole Miss on the road, Arkansas, Mississippi State on the road, A&M.”

When giving his takes on Auburn’s schedule, McElroy says that he feels optimistic that Auburn will begin their upward trend this season.

“When you actually look at it, and this is not being a Birmingham radio station, when you honestly get down to brass tacks, are we giving them a couple of games that other people probably wouldn’t?” McElroy said. “Penn State, I don’t think everyone’s going to give them that game. I don’t think everyone’s going to give them Arkansas. I don’t know how many people are going to give them Ole Miss, or even A&M.”

Auburn will have to play the role of “spoiler” this season in order to have a successful year. On3 recently revealed their SEC power rankings for the 2022 season, where they placed Auburn at No. 12 out of 14 teams.

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Bryan Harsin is bottom-tier in SEC head coach rankings

Is the “unnatural” fit between Auburn and Bryan Harsin keeping him from succeeding on the Plains?

After going through a rough offseason to this point, which included a supposed plan to remove him from his job, as well as having to hire two different offensive coordinators, it appears that Auburn’s [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] is not predicted to have a great season in 2022.

On3’s Jesse Simonton recently released his rankings of SEC head coaches from best to worst for the 2022 season, and he has listed Harsin as No. 12 out of 14 coaches, ranking just above Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea.

When explaining his stance on Harsin, Simonton seems to give Harsin the benefit of the doubt, saying that the rocky start to his chapter at Auburn is more of an “Auburn” problem as opposed to a “Harsin” problem.

“Harsin is a solid coach in a sour situation. He is not a good fit at Auburn, and despite surviving a coup this offseason, he’s ultimately going to lose that fight — likely sooner than later. The former Boise State head coach doesn’t have the recruiting chops compared to the rest of the coaches on this list, and he’s also churned through assistants with the Tigers — already on his third offensive coordinator before Year 2.”

Last week, Simonton answered a mailbag question asking if Auburn would be going through another coaching search this offseason. Simonton believes that Harsin’s days are numbered, due to the unnatural fit between Harsin and Auburn, as well as having to face a brutal schedule that involves both Alabama and Georgia.

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Butch Thompson: Ole Miss is ‘absolutely trending upward’

Auburn will open their sixth trip to the College World Series on Saturday with a familiar foe.

The Auburn Tigers have played their best baseball of late, which sets them up to be in Omaha, Nebraska for the College World Series that begins Friday.

After dominating their opponents at the Auburn Regional, the Tigers traveled across the country to Corvallis, Oregon to face Pac-12 power Oregon State. Auburn would go on to win two of three over the Beavers, handing them their first-ever Super Regional loss at home in their program’s history.

Auburn will open their sixth trip to the College World Series with a familiar foe, the Ole Miss Rebels. The Tigers hosted the Rebels for the opening series in SEC play during the weekend of March 17-19, with Ole Miss winning the series.

Since then, both teams have changed completely. Ole Miss, who was the top-ranked team in the country during their visit to the Plains, would go on to drop four of their next five SEC series en route to a 14-16 conference record. Auburn remained consistent by not losing more than two games in a row throughout the year.

Head coach Butch Thompson joined the Voice of the Auburn Tigers, Andy Burcham, for the latest edition of “This Week in Auburn Baseball” on Tuesday. In the episode that was recorded during Auburn’s flight home from Corvallis, Thompson shared his early thoughts on the first opponent that the Tigers will face at the College World Series.

“When we played Ole Miss, they were the No. 1 team in America. They have gone through the peaks and valleys, and they are absolutely trending upward, said Thompson. “They beat a great Southern Miss team that was absolutely a national seed and had an amazing year. (Ole Miss) went to Miami for that regional and got through there, so their journey was just as tough and is just as impressive in some regards.”

The Tigers will have a quick turnaround from their trip to Oregon. Auburn returned to campus around 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday night and will depart again at 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday for Omaha. The first pitch against Ole Miss at Charles Schwab Field is set for Saturday evening at 6 p.m. CT.

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Bruce Pearl shares why he thinks Jabari Smith is a top NBA Draft pick

Pearl offered insight as to why Jabari Smith is deserving of the hype on a local radio show Tuesday afternoon.

As the NBA Draft approaches, it is rare to find any mock drafts that do not list [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] as a top-two pick.

The forward from Auburn has been on the radar of NBA franchises ever since he stepped foot on campus, and has gotten more attention following his freshman season which saw him average 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

While Smith has the size and skill set needed to have a prosperous career in the NBA, his college head coach says that Smith’s journey to the NBA began way before his arrival to the Plains.

Auburn head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] joined local radio show “Sportscall” on Tiger 95.9 FM in Auburn (click here to listen to the full interview) on Tuesday to discuss a plethora of topics, including Smith. When asked what he tells NBA scouts and executives when they ask about Smith, Pearl says that his work ethic is among the best that he’s ever seen. Pearl says that “work ethic” is a craft that Smith has worked to perfect since he was in high school.

“What people do not realize is how long and how disciplined he has worked over the last four or five years to get to this point,” Pearl said. “It started in high school, he was a “6:30 in the morning, everyday, get up and get in the gym”  guy. Who does that at 14, 15, and 16 years old? His high school coach deserves a lot of credit, his family deserves a lot of credit. This is what an NBA All Star looks like, and that’s why he’s going to go number one (overall).” 

Pearl also mentioned that Smith is a great teammate, which bodes well for NBA franchises that are looking for that one piece to move them in a positive direction.

“All Jabari cares about is winning, so therefore, he had a tremendous leadership role on this team. He just wanted to come in and get better and grow as a person and a player,” said Pearl. “He didn’t care who got the credit. His teammates are genuinely happy for him because of the kind of person he is, the kind of teammate he is, the kind of friend he is.”

In the latest mock draft by USA Today’s Rookie Wire, Smith is projected to land with the Oklahoma City Thunder with the no. 2 overall pick, citing that Smith would be a valuable addition to Oklahoma City’s core.

On the other hand, Sports Illustrated has Smith joining fellow Auburn product [autotag]Chuma Okeke[/autotag] in Orlando, with the Magic projected to take Smith at no. 1 overall. According to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated, Smith would be an excellent fit for the Magic’s system, and has the ability to be a culture-setter for a franchise “still searching for their identity.”

Smith continues to prepare for the NBA Draft, which is set for Thursday, June 23.

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On3 ranks Tank Bigsby as a top-10 running back for 2022 season

Bigsby is set to be the anchor of the Auburn offense this season, which has led to high expectations from the national media.

In an offense that will see many changes from the 2021 season, the Auburn Tigers will be relying on running back [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] to be the anchor.

After leading the team in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns last season, it appears that Bigsby is poised for another great season. The folks at On3 also have high expectations for Bigsby, as they have ranked him as the no. 7 running back on their Impact 300 list. 

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle explains that the Impact 300 list ranks the best players in college football entering the 2022 season, and factors in each player’s NIL value. Here’s why On3 is high on Bigsby heading into the 2022 season:

Tank Bigsby broke 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career last season and will likely do it again for Auburn in 2022. On top of 1,099 rushing yards, he had 10 scores and 184 yards receiving. Bigsby’s NIL value is $546,000 ahead of the 2022 season.

Bigsby is one of five SEC running backs to make the top-10. Those joining Bigsby include Chris Rodriguez of Kentucky, Devon Achane of Texas A&M, and recent transfer Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama.

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Oregon State bests Vanderbilt, will host Auburn in Super Regionals

Auburn Baseball will go out west to play in their third Super Regional since 2018.

While one dream became a reality, another dream dies for Auburn Baseball.

The Tigers defeated UCLA on Monday, 11-4 to claim the Auburn Regional title, and win their first regional at Plainsman Park since 1999.

Winning the regional crown in front of their home fans was an amazing feat and a very monumental moment in the history of the program. In addition to needing a win over UCLA, Auburn also needed Vanderbilt to defeat Oregon State in order to host next week’s Super Regional.

However, the latter did not happen. The Beavers defeated Vanderbilt, 7-6 on Monday to move on to the Super Regional round, and to keep their home-field advantage.

As a result, Auburn’s next stop on the road to Omaha is Corvallis, Ore. to face Oregon State, the no. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

With Auburn’s regional win, the Tigers head to their third Super Regional in five seasons. Auburn dropped two of three to Florida in Gainesville in 2018, after a tough-luck play that ended in a walk-off home run by Florida’s Austin Langworthy in the 11th inning in game three of the series. In 2019, Auburn outscored North Carolina, 25-16 in Chapel Hill to advance to the College World Series since 1997.

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Where the Auburn-Alabama rivalry ranks among the collegiate landscape

Where is the Iron Bowl on your all-time rivalry rankings?

It is what makes college sports what it is. The rivalries. The fierce animosity between players and fanbases is due to your allegiance. As far as the college landscape is concerned, there might be no better rivalry than what goes down in the South.

There are few rivalries in sports that compare to the hatred between these two Alabama universities. In the season finale, all eyes are on the Iron Bowl. It doesn’t matter how either school is doing, when Auburn and Alabama meet on the field it is going to be a fight.

Ranking the top rivalry games in all of college sports, one publication has the Iron Bowl as a top-three showdown.

Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports

What Brad Crawford Says…

One of the SEC’s most competitive rivalries and the most nasty, Alabama-Auburn’s battle in the Iron Bowl every November shifts the college football world on its axis in a matchup often laced with national championship implications.

Alabama leads the series 48–37–1. Alabama is 8-4 vs. Auburn since 2010 with two of those losses ranking among the most memorable in the rivalry’s rich history — Cam Newton’s 21-point comeback in 2010 (national title season for the Tigers) and the jaw-dropping Kick-Six in 2013.

Auburn kept Alabama away from a College Football Playoff opportunity in 2019 with a thrilling win at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the second straight time then-coach Gus Malzahn had beaten Nick Saban on the Plains. The Tigers nearly did it again last season despite a 6-7 finish.

It is hard to fathom many rivalry games you could put above this one. The showdown that holds the moniker, “The Game” is definitely one of the two. When the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes tangle during rivalry week, you could say the hatred is on par with the Iron Bowl. As far as the No. 2 game on this list you have to travel to North Carolina with the Tar Heels-Blue Devils showdown on the hardwood.

All three have an argument to be made for the No. 1 spot. Although, people in the South will tell you it is the Iron Bowl hands down. Even fans of other schools want to tune in because you never know what could happen when it is “War Eagle” vs “Roll Tide” in November.

WATCH: Alabama OL Javion Cohen trolls Auburn Bowl practice with ‘Crimson Crane’

The hilarious troll continues into the Bowl season!

Just a few days after Alabama defensive back DeMarcco Hellams delivered a powerful comeback on Twitter in response to a Texas A&M player’s attempt at a diss, Crimson Tide offensive lineman Javion Cohen may have just done one better.

As Alabama’s in-state rival, Auburn, prepares for the Birmingham Bowl, where the Tigers will face Houston, the team is practicing at Hoover High School in Birmingham, and they received a very special visitor.

In a clip shared to Twitter by Cohen, the ‘Crimson Crane’ made an appearance overlooking the Auburn practice.

It’s important to remember Auburn attempted mocking the move, popularized by wide receivers John Metchie III and Jameson Williams, during the 2021 Iron Bowl, which ended in a four-overtime stunning comeback win by the Crimson Tide.

Alabama is scheduled to play in the College Football semifinal in the Cotton Bowl against Cincinnati on Dec. 31.

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