The Auburn Plainsman 09.24.20 Special Section

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Auburn Plainsman

kentucky vs. auburn

JOSH FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

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The Auburn Plainsman: Kentucky vs. Auburn

September 24, 2020

Running Back: Shaun Shivers - 8 D.J. Williams - 3 OR Tank Bigbsy - 4 OR

Left Guard: Tashawn Manning - 56 Tate Johnson - 54 Kamaar Bell - 79

Tight End: John S. Shenker - 47 Luke Deal - 86 OR J.J. Pegues 89 OR Brandon Frazier 87 Wide Receiver: Seth Williams - 18 Anthony Schwartz - 5 Eli Stove - 12 Shedrick Jackson - 11 Ze’Vian Capers - 9 Kobe Hudson - 5

OFFENSE

Center: Nick Brahms - 52 Jalil Irvin - 50 Right Guard: Brandon Council - 71 Keiondre Jones - 58 Kam Stutts - 62 Right Tackle: Brodarious Hamm - 59 Brenden Coffey - 55

Left Tackle: Landon Young - 67 Nick Lewis - 78

Running Back: A.J. Rose - 10 Chris Rodriguez - 24 OR Kavoisey Smoke 20

Left Guard: Kenneth Horsey - 68 Eli Cox - 75

Wide Receiver: Bryce Oliver - 85 Clevan Thomas - 18 Josh Ali - 6 Allen Dailey - 89

Free Safety: Jeremiah Dinson - 20 Chris Thompson Jr. - 5

Defensive Tackle: Colby Wooden - 25 Daquan Newkirk - 44

Strong Safety: Smoke Monday - 21 Jordyn Peters - 15

Buck: Derrick Hall - 29 T.D. Moultry - 99

Cornerback: Jaylin Simpson - 26 Nehemiah Pritchett - 14 Marco Domio - 17

Linebacker: K.J. Britt - 33 Wesley Steiner - 32

Star: Christian Tutt - 6 Zion Puckett - 31 Ladarius Tennison - 13

Kicker: Anders Carlson - 26 Ben Patton - 96 Punter: Aidan Marshall - 41 OR Oscar Chapmanl - 91 Long Snapper: Bill Taylor - 60 Holder: Ben Patton - 96 OR Grant Loy - 14 Punt Returner: Christian Tutt - 6 Ja’Varrius Johnson - 6 OR Mark-Antony Richards- 21

Kick Returner: Shaun Shivers - 8 Eli Stove - 12

Linebacker: Owen Pappoe - 0 Zakoby McClain - 9

KENTUCKY DEPTH CHART

Quarterback: Terry Wilson - 3 Beau Allen - 11

Tight End: Justin Rigg - 83 Keaton Upshaw - 88

Defensive Tackle: Tyrone Truesdell - 94 Zykeivous Walker - 3 Maruqis Burks - 92

Cornerback: Roger McCreary -23 Matthew Hill - 19 Devan Barrett - 10 Eric Reed Jr. - 24

Center: Drake Jackson - 52 Quintin Wilson - 60 Right Guard: Luke Fortner - 79 Austin Dotson - 61 Right Tackle: Darian Kinnard - 70 Jeremy Flax - 77

Defensive End: Josh Paschal - 4 Isaiah Gibson - 96

Nickelback: Davonte Robinson - 9 Vito Tisdale - 7

Defensive Tackle: Phil Hoskins - 92 Kordell Looney - 59

Cornerback: Kelvin Joseph - 1 Jamari Brown - 32

Nose Guard: Quinton Bohanna - 95 Marquan McCall - 50 LB/Defensive End: Jordan Wright - 15 J.J. Weaver - 13 Middle Linebacker: Jamin Davis - 44 Marquez Bembry - 42 Weakside Linebacker: DeAndre Square - 5 Jared Casey - 6

Strong Safety: Tyrell Ajian -23 Quandre Mosely - 21 Free Safety: Yusuf Corker - 29 Taj Dodson - 30 Cornerback: Brandin Echols - 26 Cedrick Dort Jr. - 3

SPECIAL TEAMS

Mark-Antony Richards- 21

Defensive End: Big Kat Bryant - 1 Jaren Handy - 55

SPECIAL TEAMS

Left Tackle: Alec Jackson - 65 OR Austin Troxell - 68 Killian Zierer - 77

DEFENSE

Quarterback: Bo Nix - 10 Grant Loy - 14 Cord Sandberg - 24

DEFENSE

OFFENSE

AUBURN DEPTH CHART

Kicker: Matt Ruffalo - 96 Chance Poore - 12 Punter: Max Duffy - 93 Colin Goodfellow - 94 Long Snapper: Cade Degraw - 51 Holder: Max Duffy - 92 Colin Goodfellow - 94 Punt Returner: Josh Ali - 6 Kick Returner: Zach Johnson - 28

September 24, 2020

The Auburn Plainsman: Kentucky vs. Auburn

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From the desk of Allen Greene:

Dear Auburn students, FILE PHOTO

Auburn athletic director Allen Greene at Auburn Fan Day on Aug. 11, 2018 in Auburn, AL.

By ALLEN GREENE Athletic Director

Dear Auburn students, We made it! Confronted with extraordinary obstacles, Auburn students, student-athletes, coaches and staff have risen to the challenge.

Like you, our fall sports teams have sacrificed aspects of the way of life we all took for granted prior to the pandemic. Now, they reap the reward: the opportunity to compete with their teammates, to proudly wear the orange and blue.

More than six months have passed since our winter and spring sports were postponed. A half-year without a celebratory singing of “War Eagle” after a hard-fought victory. Now, we’re back!

When you watch the Auburn Tigers play, you’ll notice on our uniforms and/ or equipment the Auburn Unity Symbol, black and white hands clasped together in

solidarity.

The Auburn Unity Symbol represents the oneness we seek to instill in our teams and throughout our community, acknowledging and celebrating our differences while we unite for a greater purpose.

Thanks to donations from the Auburn family, including athletic department members, Unity t-shirts will be distributed to students attending Saturday’s game.

We encourage you to wear them during the game to show the country the unity that defines the Auburn family.

While we wish we could pack Jordan-Hare Stadium with 87,451 enthusiastic fans this season, prudence dictates a reduced capacity and strict adherence to the physical distancing, face coverings and personal hygiene measures we’ve all adopted in 2020.

For the chance to watch the Auburn Tigers play – whether in person or on television (with the voices of Andy, Stan and

Ronnie coming through loud and clear on radio) — it’s a price we will gladly pay.

To our students who will comprise the majority of those attending Auburn’s first game, thank you for doing so safely and responsibly to protect yourself, your family and your community. We’re counting on you to amplify your voices to create the home-field advantage the Auburn Tigers have enjoyed year after year each time they run onto Pat Dye Field.

Students, you are the reason Coach Malzahn says over and over that Auburn has the best fans in college football. Your enthusiasm will help Auburn maintain that edge, even during this most unorthodox season.

Our student-athletes feed off your energy. We need you to bring it loud and proud to all five home games this season.

You truly make a difference, now more than ever.

That’s one of the reasons all of us in

positions of leadership at Auburn felt so strongly that our students deserved the opportunity to be in the stadium this season. Treasure these moments and memories.

Throughout all of the uncertainty we’ve experienced this year, there’s one thing we’ve been able to count on: the unwavering commitment of the Auburn Family.

Your support makes it possible for Auburn Athletics to carry out our mission of raising the profile of Auburn University through excellence in intercollegiate athletics. The way you believe in Auburn motivates us to educate, support and develop student-athletes at every moment, to create Auburn women and men.

On to victory, and War Eagle!

Allen Greene

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The Auburn Plainsman: Kentucky vs. Auburn

September 24, 2020

JOSH FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

K.J. Britt (33) runs onto the field at the start of Auburn vs. Kent State, on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

K.J. Britt preparing for ‘talented’ Kentucky offense

By CALEB JONES Writer

Saturday at 11 a.m. CST cannot come soon enough. It marks the start of a historic, all-SEC season for Auburn football, which returns to the field after a longer-than-normal offseason.

The No. 8 Tigers welcome in the No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats, who hope to spoil Auburn’s season opener.

Several Auburn players are amped up about finally being able to play another team, including 2020 captain K.J. Britt.

“I can’t wait,” Britt said on Tuesday. “I’m getting butterflies ... it’s good butterflies.

I just can’t wait. It’s like a kid going to a fair.”

Britt and the defense will face a challenge in Week 1. Kentucky’s rushing offense was ranked fifth in the nation last

season with 3,624 total rushing yards. One of the reasons Kentucky was so efficient last season in the run game was its offensive line.

“Last year they were one of the best rushing teams in all of college football,” said Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. “To be able to do that in this league says a lot.

They have four returning starters up front that I think are very talented.”

The only starter from last year’s offensive line that is gone is Logan Stenberg, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft.

This year, the Wildcats have two first team All-SEC players up front in center Drake Jackson and tackle Darian Kinnard.

“Well, they’re talented, they’re big, strong guys,” Malzahn said. “Both their offense and defensive lines, that’s where some of their strengths are. They got most

of their guys back as we lost most of our guys on the offensive front and defensive front, so that’s going to be a challenge and our guys are aware of that.”

Under fifth-year defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, Britt feels as if the defense is “in a really good spot.”

“We have to make sure our Auburn defensive foundation is laid down,” Britt said. “It’s built on that no matter what [Kentucky] does, no matter what happens in the game, we have to have relentless effort. We have to tackle, we have to be mentally and physically tough.”

Kentucky is returning three running backs who each individually rushed for over 500 yards a season ago.

The Auburn defensive line is returning two starters from last season after losing Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson, who currently play on Sundays.

Auburn will have to rely on not only veteran starters like Britt, but on a few redshirt freshmen to step up right away.

Redshirt freshmen Colby Wooden and Jaylin Simpson both found their names at the top of the depth chart when it was released on Tuesday.

“Those guys are really eager to get better,” Britt said. “They come to work everyday with a positive mindset. They’re just trying to contribute in some kind of way.”

The wait is almost over for Auburn fans. Saturday is just a few days away and the entire Auburn team knows it. The entire student body knows it. Auburn football is back.

“During this quarantine,” Britt said.

“There’s probably been a lot of dark days in students’ lives, a lot of dark days in athletes’ lives. But now we all have something to look forward to.”

September 24, 2020

The Auburn Plainsman: Kentucky vs. Auburn

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Tigers thankful and excited for season opener

By MATTISON ALLEN Writer

A much-awaited season debut is just around the corner for Auburn and the rest of the SEC and the Tigers are just excited to play.

The SEC football season was a question mark for months, but now the late-season opener approaches with excitement in the air.

Auburn opens with its first game against the Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday.

“I’m just thankful to play,” senior linebacker K.J. Britt said. “In March and April, we didn’t know we were going to play. I just really wanted to play here, just one more time in Jordan-Hare.”

“The circumstances are the circumstances and we just have to learn to adapt,” Britt said. “It’s like the new normal now. We can’t harp on the past. We just have to bring it, just got to be ready for whatever.”

Britt was a first-year starter last season, finishing the year with 69 total tackles and earned a spot on the AllSEC First Team.

Now heading into 2020, Britt was named a captain along with quarterback Bo Nix, running back Shaun Shiv-

ers and defensive end Big Kat Bryant.

“Being a captain at an SEC school is a huge deal and something I’ll never ever take for granted,” Britt said.

“Being a captain here at Auburn University and knowing who all was a captain before me and the foundation that they laid, it was a huge honor. [It’s] an honor that I couldn’t really put into words.”

Nix shared similar sentiments about being named a captain as this was one of the greatest honors he has ever received in his whole sports career.

He is also following in his father’s footsteps as Patrick Nix was a team captain during the 1995 season when he was under center for the Tigers.

As a true freshman last season, Nix led the Tigers with 2,542 passing yards and 16 passing touchdowns.

Getting to play this Saturday has Nix more excited than he has ever been before for a game.

“I think I’m more excited than I’ve ever been to play a football game,” Nix said. “Just because of the build-up that it’s had and the questions and the chaos that it’s had. I think we kind of took it for granted in years past.”

Nix is also looking forward to being out in front a crowd and playing against an opponent that isn’t made up of teammates.

We’re just happy to be back out there, happy to be in

front of a crowd, happy to play another team that isn’t ourselves, Nix said. “We get to play football on Saturday, and that’s a great feeling. I’m super excited about it.”

Just like the players and the fans, the staff is excited about the first game of the season.

Weeks of practice, Zoom calls and COVID tests have built an excitement like no other.

Head coach Gus Malzahn is looking forward to playing a good Kentucky team, but he’s also excited to start the season.

“It’s been a very interesting journey, a long journey,” Malzahn said. “There were a lot of weeks that you look back and say, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to play.’ And then the next week, they walk out and think we have a chance to play.”

Now fast approaching the first game of the season, Malzahn finally feels like it’s a game week once again.

“Just the excitement has been completely different for our players,” Malzahn said. “Even this Sunday’s practice was different because you could tell the urgency. I know for myself that it feels like game week and we finally got to that point.”

No. 8 Auburn will face off against No. 23 Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 26 inside Jordan-Hare Stadium at 11 a.m.

CST.

TODD VAN EMST | AU ATHLETICS

Big Kat Bryant (1), Shaun Shivers (8), Bo Nix (10) and K.J. Britt (33) were voted captains for the season Saturday by their teammates.

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The Auburn Plainsman: Kentucky vs. Auburn

FILE PHOTO

Cam Newton makes a run against Arkansas State.

September 24, 2020

TODD VAN EMST | AU ATHLETICS

Christian Tutt directs blockers during a punt return in Auburn vs. Oregon.

OPINION: Auburn’s top 5 season openers

By RYAN METCALF Writer

Honorable Mention: Auburn vs. Oregon, 2019

Auburn beats Oregon 27-21 in Arlington, Texas, 2019. Led by legacy, true freshman quarterback, Bo Nix, Auburn mounted a last minute drive that was capitalized by a last second touchdown catch by Seth Williams.

Number 5: Washington State at Auburn, 2013

This game marked the first of the Gus Malzahn head coaching era on The Plains. Auburn won the game 31-24 while showcasing a brand-new, unique offensive style to the college football world.

After finishing just 3-9 the year before, a season opening win against a Power-5 opponent gave the Tigers just what they needed to rebound the football program back to being a national contender. Without this game being how Auburn started the season, the famous Prayer in Jordan-Hare and Kick Six games would never be possible.

Number 4: Auburn at Tennessee, 1957

A calm 7-0 win by the Auburn Tigers kicked off the first ever national title run by the football program.

In his seventh season as Auburn’s head coach, Ralph “Shug” Jordan brought his team up to Knoxville, Tennessee to claim win number one in their 10-game campaign.

Auburn went on to win all 10 games and got awarded their first national championship title.

Because of this season, Jordan has his name forever remembered on Auburn’s campus with Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Number 3: Wake Forest at Auburn, 1982

Auburn won the game 28-10, but that’s not the significant part in why this game will be remembered in Auburn lore forever.

1982 marked Bo Jackson’s freshman season at Auburn and he immediately made an impact for the Tigers.

On just 10 total carries all game, Bo Jackson torched the Demon Deacons defense for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

Because high school recruits weren’t widely available to watch nationwide like they are now, this game was Jackson’s arrival to the national stage. He left Auburn after four years, leaving behind a legacy that can never be replaced, but it all started against Wake Forest.

Number 2: ULM at Auburn, 2004

ULM at Auburn, 2004. Auburn won the game 31-0 in a dominating statement. Louisiana-Monroe might not be the best football program in the country, but this game was very important because just a year prior, Auburn was put on the national stage expecting to compete for a national title and failed tremendously with bad losses to USC, Georgia Tech, LSU and Georgia.

Auburn returned their elite backfield of Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, looking for redemption. Auburn wanted to make a statement that they weren’t going to crumble with high expectations like the year before and the 31-0 victory showed exactly that.

The 2004 season is also unique because Auburn went 13-0 and finished No. 3 in the BCS rankings. USC, the team who won the national title, has since been stripped of the championship, and many believe Auburn is the right team to claim the vacant title.

Number 1: Arkansas State at Auburn, 2010

This game was the single most important season-opener in Auburn’s history. The opponent for this game doesn’t really matter, but what does matter is that this game kicked off Auburn’s greatest season in their 127-year history of football.

Auburn cruised to a 52-26 victory behind one of Auburn’s most prominent household names in today’s sporting world, Cam Newton. Newton threw for just 186 yards and three touchdowns but on the ground he ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Cam Newton’s performance gave way to ESPN and CBS competing to get Auburn on their national broadcast all season long due to his highlight reel abilities.

Not only did Auburn go on to win the SEC Championship and National Championship, Cam Newton won Auburn its third Heisman Trophy.

At the time, this game may have seemed like a small week one blowout victory, but in reality it made Auburn a national brand again and grew the university’s profile nationwide.

Auburn soon developed a new belief that they should be able to compete for championships every year all because Cam Newton and the 2010 team started the year with a 52-26 victory over Arkansas State.

September 24, 2020

The Auburn Plainsman: Kentucky vs. Auburn

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MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF | THE KENTUCKY KERNEL

Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Terry Wilson throws the ball during the UK vs. Eastern Michigan University football game on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019.

BEHIND ENEMY BYLINES

By BRADEN RAMSEY The Kentucky Kernel | Sports Editor

Q: What can Auburn fans expect out of Terry Wilson? How good is he? Can he handle Auburn’s defense?

A: In the roughly seven quarters Wilson suited up last season, he looked calm, collected and confident. Throughout the 2018 run, you could see moments where he was hesitant on where to throw or confused by defenses, which led to misses on some throws that should be automatic. He was also fairly reliant on yards after catch for chunk plays. But in his limited 2019 action, he showed improvement in all those areas. He was poised in the pocket, read the defense, knew where to go with the ball and confidently pushed it down the field. He was noticeably improved.

Of course, these things also came against MAC competition, not a perennial SEC top dog. And Wilson is coming off injury, specifically a torn patellar tendon. This being his first game back, I expect Kentucky’s first few drives to primarily consist of runs and short passes — think slants, curls and screens — to help him get into the swing of things. A play-action pass and read option or QB draw should also be in the cards so Wilson can see if his knee will hold up when he’s on the move.

He’ll need the confidence to bounce around the pocket and scramble when necessary; if he’s unsure and unable to show that mobility, Auburn will be able to stack the box and bring seven or eight defenders to take away Kentucky’s powerful run game. The Cats will not have a good shot at winning if that happens.

It will take the first 10-20 minutes of game time for Wilson to knock off the rust that comes with not suiting up in over a calendar year, but

the Cats should be able to run a typical offense once he gets settled. I don’t expect him to try and force anything like you see some signal callers do following missed time. He should be able to keep his unit in reasonable down-and-distances, and effectively serve as a game manager in this first outing.

Q: What do you expect to see out of Kentucky’s defense? Can it contain Auburn’s offense?

A: The Cats’ defense was one of the nation’s best in 2019, and returns most of the key figures who helped it rank as such. The secondary is loaded, returning some of Pro Football Focus’ top graded returning players and preseason AllSEC members while adding former LSU product Kelvin Joseph and 2018 slot corner Davonte Robinson — who missed last season due to injury – to the bunch. After allowing the fewest passing touchdowns in the country last year (9, tied with Ohio State), the backend should make life for opponent passing games’ — especially when throwing beyond ten yards — difficult.

When Bo Nix matched up with tough defenses as a freshman, he didn’t complete a high percentage of his throws, record a high number of yards per attempt or throw multiple touchdown passes (the Oregon opener the sole exception).

Having an extended offseason to hone his craft and get a better grasp on the mental side of quarterbacking undoubtedly will lead to improvement in 2020, but starting against a secondary as talented and deep as Kentucky’s isn’t an ideal opening.

Nix will have more success in the short passing game, where the Cats will be forced to start someone without much experience at the inside linebacker spot next to DeAndre Square. Chris Oats,

who would have been the favorite for the position and played very well last year, has been away from the team since the original offseason for undisclosed reasons, leaving Jamin Davis to step into the role. He appeared in each game of 2019, making one start and recording 13 total tackles in the last two games.

Those were not against opponents of Auburn’s caliber though. We saw Kash Daniel make a lot of tackles against Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, but most came after getting beat in coverage. When Oats was on the field in his stead, the Hokies did not move down the field as easily because of his coverage ability. David hasn’t had the same opportunity to demonstrate coverage skills, but with it being more of an unknown, Nix seems primed to target running backs and tight ends matched up against him and see if he’s able to hold his own.

Kentucky’s run defense was not as strong, ranking 64th in yards per game allowed and 87th in yards per carry allowed. The defensive line lost one of its biggest impact players in Calvin Taylor Jr., but adds numerous recruits on the front, including top-10 defensive tackle Justin Rogers and top-30 at the position Josiah Hayes. Josh Paschal is also moving back to the interior, which should help improve the unit’s ability to slow the running game. The Tigers averaged 4.7 yards per carry in 2019 though, and despite them losing JarTavious Whitlow, it will be a challenge for the Cats to slow their attack.

Q: How has the COVID situation been with the team?

A: No specific number of players being absent due to COVID or COVID precautions from the football team in particular has been announced.

The university releases total numbers of student-

athletes and staff that have been tested and total number of positive cases with no specificity regarding sport.

That said, on Aug. 22nd , Mark Stoops said three players had tested positive in the week prior. And on Sept. 12th , he mentioned certain position grips being thin for scrimmage purposes due to injury and COVID, adding the caveat that Kentucky’s overall situation was “manageable at this point in time.” So there appear to be some limitations, but nothing of notable concern at the moment.

Q: What’s one player Auburn fans should know heading into the game?

A: Running back Asim Rose, No. 10. He’s the top returning player for Kentucky in terms of carries and yards, and in a game where the starting quarterback may not be the most comfortable, you need your primary running back to produce in a big way. Each member of the Cat backfield trio will get a good number of touches, but Rose is best suited to handle a bulk of the carries, between-the-tackle opportunities and goal line work. His number should be called frequently.

Q: Who wins the game? Score? Why? A: I’m expecting a grind-it-out approach from both schools, leading to a ton of rushing attempts, lengthy drives and low scoring. Whichever defense can hold up best in the red zone will lead their team to victory. With Kentucky returning its major contributors from a season ago and Auburn losing five players to the NFL, the Cats should be stronger on that side of the ball in this opening week. As a result, they will do just enough to pull out a victory, setting those who have not been giving them any real attention on notice.

Kentucky – 20, Auburn – 17.

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