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Pregame Blitz: Auburn vs. No. 10 Alabama · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

• 0:00
  [music]
• 0:07
  Welcome on in everybody here to the
• 0:09
  pregame blitz [music] with Auburn
• 0:11
  Undercover. Jason Caldwell, Nathan King,
• 0:13
  Patrick Bingham behind the camera, the
• 0:15
  creator of our fancy new microphones
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  microphones. You know, we had to upgrade
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  for the Iron Bowl. You know, we had to
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  uh we had to do it.
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  >> Jason is the Ironbull. It is never a day
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  that uh that lacks for drama. It is
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  never a day that lacks for excitement
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  when you're here at Auburn. Uh just
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  curious, how many iron rolls is this for
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  you now?
• 0:31
  >> Uh on the job.
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  >> Yeah, on the job is 27.
• 0:34
  >> 27.
• 0:34
  >> This is 27 right here. So this is Yep.
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  This is uh number 27. So seen some crazy
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  ones over the years. And uh hey, we
• 0:40
  might see another one tonight.
• 0:41
  >> Absolutely. I mean, this is an Auburn
• 0:43
  team that is obviously having a
• 0:45
  disappointing season, hence the coaching
• 0:46
  search that we are still in right now.
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  But uh they can get to a bowl game with
• 0:50
  a win today. And as has been the case in
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  a few seasons of late, they can knock
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  Alabama right out of the playoff. I
• 0:56
  think the playoff the chances of Bama
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  making the playoff field with a third
• 0:59
  loss would be very very low. And uh
• 1:01
  Jason, we talked about this week. I
• 1:02
  think a lot of it starts with with
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  Auburn's defense. Of course, this is a
• 1:05
  big day for DJ Durkens unit on the field
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  and we'll see what happens in this uh in
• 1:09
  this coaching search as well. But as
• 1:11
  we've been talking about all week, this
• 1:12
  is an Alabama team that contrary to what
• 1:14
  we've come to know about that program,
• 1:16
  cannot run the ball very well. 120 112th
• 1:18
  nationally in yards per carry. That to
• 1:20
  me is where this matchup starts cuz you
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  can't get on play action on your heels.
• 1:24
  Can't have Ty Simpson pick you apart all
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  day.
• 1:26
  >> Correct. And it'd be interesting because
• 1:27
  look, this is a a talented Alabama
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  offensive line. This is a group that's
• 1:30
  got some pretty good running backs.
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  Daniel Hill is a guy I'm watching for
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  today for Alabama. He he hasn't had as
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  many carries, but he's 244 lbs. Big
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  bulldozer kind of guy. Wonder if they
• 1:39
  try to lean on him a little bit to give
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  him a little bit of running game.
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  Obviously, the passing game is where
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  their their bread is buttered and and I
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  would expect to see some of that today.
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  I was thinking about this this week,
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  though. I I won't be surprised, you
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  know, we didn't get to see practice this
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  week for the first time. I won't be
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  surprised if we see Kay and Lee, Jay
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  Crawford, Raawn Pleasant all on the
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  field at the same time.
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  >> Y
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  >> one of those guys in a nickel to be able
• 2:01
  to put some other cover guys on the
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  field cuz I mean look, they're going to
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  throw it. They're going to spread you
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  out and without Josh Quavvis,
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  >> you may be more wide receiver driven
• 2:08
  this week. If you're Auburn, maybe you
• 2:10
  counter that with more coverage guys
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  without Sister.
• 2:12
  >> Sure. I mean, it's Quavvis has been it's
• 2:14
  the Alabama tight end. Um he's been the
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  safety blanket for them this season. I
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  think that's a really big deal that they
• 2:18
  don't have him um today. Yeah. I mean,
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  you you can't get in a situation. Look,
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  and Tai Simpson had that kind of Heisman
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  surge middle of the year. I don't think
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  it's a coincidence that Alabama has
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  struggled to run the ball and his
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  numbers have kind of dropped um as well.
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  But that chess match between Ryan Grub
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  and DJ Durkin is obviously going to be a
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  really important one. On the other side,
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  Jason, you Ashton Daniels steps back in
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  at quarterback. Obviously, he he gave
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  the opportunity to Duce Knight because
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  he he preserved his red shirt against
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  Mercer, but I think both you and I
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  wouldn't necessarily be surprised if you
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  saw Deuce in this game in some capacity.
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  I think Ashton Daniels is going to be
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  your quarterback throughout the day, but
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  if you want to give a little change of
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  pace maybe when you get down to the red
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  zone, I think that's something maybe we
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  could see today.
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  >> Yeah, I think that's part of it. I think
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  maybe a change of pace for him uh put
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  him in there in some red zone situations
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  because especially what we saw last
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  week. Now, it was Mercer, it wasn't
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  Alabama,
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  >> but his ability to to put pressure on
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  the corner of a defense to throw the
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  ball in tight windows, all the things
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  that he did, maybe you do some of that
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  um today if if you're, you know, Derek
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  Nicks, those guys and and trying to get
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  them rolling. So, I think you start
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  looking at it. Um, that's an adjustment.
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  And then the other adjustment for me is
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  this will be the first time that Derek
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  Nicks as a play caller is going into a
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  game where the team has film on that
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  quarterback
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  >> cuz Vandy didn't have any on Ashton
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  Daniels. Mercer didn't have any on Duce
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  Knight. Now, you look at it going look,
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  they they've seen kind of what you're
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  doing. What adjustments do you make?
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  What adjustments do you make in play
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  calling? maybe some some uh different
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  situational things you're doing. Sure.
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  Scheme, all there can be some changes
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  for you for Derek Nicks today. How do
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  you respond to what they've seen and and
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  maybe the adjustments the defense gonna
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  make?
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  >> Yeah, because I think it would be a lot
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  simpler if say the date of this game
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  takes the place of when you played
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  Vanderbilt when you just get to slide in
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  um and you and you're able to catch. I
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  think that that was a lot of the
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  Vanderbilt game plan. Sure, it was very
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  simple and Ashton Daniels did a good job
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  executing it, but I think you had
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  Vanderbilt on their heels because they
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  didn't know what to expect. Now, that's
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  not to say I think the game plan will be
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  get the ball to Cam Coleman, get the
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  ball to Eric Singleton, make decisive,
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  you know, passes and and make sure
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  you're doing things at the line of
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  scrimmage to be able to, you know,
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  because things were so slow developing
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  uh when when Hugh Fes was was calling
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  the offense, and you kind of saw that
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  change with Derek Nicks. I mean, talking
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  about that third phase of the game,
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  Jason, that that that always ends up so
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  important in these Iron Bowls. You and I
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  talked about it this week. You have two
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  kickers in this game going in very
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  different directions. Alex McFersonson
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  makes uh his last 12 field goals for
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  Auburn ever since he he had those
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  struggles against Missouri. And on the
• 4:38
  other side for Alabama, Connor Talty has
• 4:40
  been struggling a lot. If this is a
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  close game in the fourth quarter,
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  advantage Auburn, at least we would
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  think, when it comes to to field goal
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  opportunities.
• 4:47
  >> Absolutely. I think you look at it,
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  that's one of the things you look at
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  going, look, can you control special
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  teams? Can you do those things? I think
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  that's a big deal. Um, look, Alex
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  McFerson's been really good the last few
• 4:56
  weeks. He's done a good job. Alabama has
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  struggled all season long. It's not just
• 5:00
  been the last few weeks. And so, so you
• 5:02
  look at that and going, look, can you
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  dominate special teams? Can you make a
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  play or two in special teams? Um, that's
• 5:07
  always important and like you said,
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  we've seen it here especially where
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  Alabama's had some issues making field
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  goals and Auburn's been pretty good in
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  the red zone defensively. Can you force
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  some of those attempts and then and then
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  take your chances on making a guy making
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  a kick?
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  >> Yeah, and I was looking at it today as
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  as well, Jason. I think just Auburn
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  playing a cleaner game. The penalty
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  issues this team has had this season
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  kept up against Vanderbilt. Even, you
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  know, new new coaches out there that
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  still has remained a problem. I was
• 5:30
  looking at it in the in the last five
• 5:31
  Iron Bowls that Auburn has lost that 33
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  combined penalties in this game. You go
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  back to the last Iron Bowl they won here
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  at Jordan Hair Stadium. Alabama was the
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  team. They had 13 penalties that day,
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  including the one that clinched it. So,
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  I think playing a clean game, but that
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  kind of segus Jason into what Auburn
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  should should feel today in this type of
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  environment.
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  >> This is an AR team that's got nothing to
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  lose. And that is why this game is
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  circled by so many people of Alabama
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  potentially being on upset alert. Not
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  just because we know what to expect from
• 5:56
  Journey Hair Stadium, but it's been
• 5:57
  disappointing season for for this team.
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  But to have it here at night in this
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  environment, it's something that we know
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  for a fact Auburn is going to take
• 6:05
  advantage of.
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  >> Yeah. No, it's it's going to make for a
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  crazy environment. Look, fans have shown
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  up all season long. They're definitely
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  going to show up tonight. So, it's going
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  to be a wild atmosphere. I think it's
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  important for Auburn to keep them
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  engaged early. Uh play good defense,
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  move the football, stay in the game, and
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  give it to the fourth quarter. If you do
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  that, man, it's going to be a wild
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  atmosphere. And then that's when uh
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  that's when you have a chance to do
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  something they haven't done in quite a
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  while, which is win one of these type of
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  games.
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  >> Yeah. in this place is going to be fact.
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  Not just not just the stands, but
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  obviously the sidelines um as well. It's
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  just it's just one of those games where
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  pretty much all the stars are going to
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  be out. And to talk a little bit about
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  that subject, um it's it's you Auburn's
• 6:38
  recruiting department has kind of been
• 6:39
  saving up for this week. We know with
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  the last couple home games, Kentucky and
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  Mercer, uh really kind of waiting for a
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  bunch of visitors. And so to talk more
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  about that with you, Jason, we'll bring
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  in our recruiting expert, Christian
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  Clemente.
• 6:48
  >> Yeah, Jason. Five official visitors
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  coming in. Huge group of unofficial
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  visitors, especially in the younger
• 6:53
  group. Should mention to start off,
• 6:55
  there were six official visitors. Brady
• 6:56
  Beckenheis, the offensive lineman who
• 6:58
  flipped to Wisconsin earlier this week.
• 7:00
  He is out. He's not visiting this
• 7:01
  weekend. But other official visitors,
• 7:03
  Jordan Carter, the Edge from Douglas
• 7:04
  County, former Texas A&M commit, who
• 7:06
  we're plenty familiar with. Deshawn
• 7:08
  Spencer, the Duke wide receiver commit
• 7:09
  from Sarah, who went crazy last night
• 7:11
  against Benjamin Russell.
• 7:12
  >> Uh let's see if I can keep remembering
• 7:14
  these off top of my head. Tavian Branch,
• 7:15
  the defensive lineman from Pennsylvania.
• 7:17
  >> Yep.
• 7:18
  >> Oh man, we're uh Kaku Aumua. I Yeah,
• 7:22
  >> I was gonna let you say
• 7:24
  >> I'm gonna need a pronunciation guide
• 7:25
  from him once we uh once we meet him for
• 7:27
  the first time. The Florida tight end
• 7:28
  commit from Hawaii. And then there's one
• 7:30
  more that I'm drawing a blank on. But
• 7:31
  we'll start off with those guys. Uh
• 7:34
  Jason Jordan Carter maybe one of the
• 7:35
  biggest ones. Need a defensive end. Need
• 7:37
  kind of a He's more of a defensive end
• 7:39
  than a buck linebacker, but you need
• 7:41
  work at both of those positions in this
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  2026 class just because of what you're
• 7:46
  losing. You're losing Kel Faulk, you're
• 7:47
  losing Kieran Crawford, you're losing
• 7:49
  Chris Murray. So needing to get a
• 7:51
  replacement there at that position.
• 7:53
  >> Jordan Carter little undersized but
• 7:56
  pretty dominant
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  >> there. Douglas County from every time
• 7:59
  we've seen him play.
• 8:00
  >> Really good pass rusher. You start
• 8:01
  talking about positions of need and
• 8:03
  where look that's always a spot where
• 8:05
  you start looking at it going look you
• 8:06
  got to be able to get after the
• 8:07
  quarterback do those things and Jordan
• 8:08
  Carter's a guy that has done it and he's
• 8:10
  kind of had that consistent look at
• 8:12
  Auburn for a while. Um we'll see if they
• 8:14
  can make even more of a move tonight.
• 8:15
  >> Cooper Crosby.
• 8:16
  >> Yeah running back from Yeah. South
• 8:18
  Mississippi. I've written about him
• 8:19
  multiple times this week, including a
• 8:21
  story I had today saying five visitors
• 8:23
  that could end up being Tigers really
• 8:24
  feel like Auburn has a good chance to
• 8:25
  get him, have a good chance to get
• 8:27
  Deshawn Spencer. And look, the obvious
• 8:29
  question is, okay, well, the coaching
• 8:30
  search, what's happening, uncertainty,
• 8:33
  especially on the offensive side of the
• 8:34
  ball, you feel maybe a little bit better
• 8:35
  with some defensive guys because it
• 8:37
  feels like DJ Durkin will be here to
• 8:39
  some extent.
• 8:39
  >> Yeah.
• 8:40
  >> Um, but those two guys,
• 8:42
  >> the way I explained it in my stories is
• 8:44
  look, they have great relationships with
• 8:46
  their coaches. Cooper Crosby with Derek
• 8:48
  Nicks. Deshawn Spencer with Marcus
• 8:50
  Davis.
• 8:50
  >> Yeah,
• 8:51
  >> but they love Auburn. Yeah,
• 8:52
  >> they just really like Auburn. Deshawn
• 8:53
  Spencer, an in-state kid. Cooper Crosby
• 8:55
  >> right there just across the state line
• 8:58
  in Mississippi.
• 8:59
  >> Not to diminish the relationship they
• 9:01
  have with those coaches and they really
• 9:02
  like them and it could play a factor,
• 9:05
  but they also just really really like
• 9:06
  Auburn at the end of the day and it
• 9:07
  feels like Auburn could get them. Yeah.
• 9:09
  >> No matter who's here and that's I think
• 9:10
  that's the thing when you're talking
• 9:11
  about recruiting in general. We can
• 9:12
  blanket statement that right now going
• 9:14
  look you're recruiting guys to Auburn.
• 9:16
  Obviously staff is important. Obviously
• 9:17
  that's always a big deal. Look is
• 9:19
  important now. What's the roster makeup
• 9:21
  look like? I think you go like hey
• 9:23
  they're going you're going to hire
• 9:24
  quality coach no matter who it is.
• 9:25
  You're going to get good assistance. Um
• 9:27
  is it Auburn? Is this a place you feel
• 9:29
  like you can be at home at and win at
• 9:30
  and do those things. I think that's a
• 9:32
  big deal. And so I think from a blanket
• 9:34
  statement I think that's I think that's
• 9:35
  the focus recruiting period right now.
• 9:38
  >> Jason, the Wells brothers, they're back.
• 9:40
  We've talked about them a bunch this
• 9:41
  fall. Felt like since the Ball State
• 9:44
  home opener that they were on flipwatch.
• 9:47
  Cory committed to Texas. Chris committed
• 9:49
  to South Alabama.
• 9:50
  >> They have not done it to this point. Y
• 9:52
  there is still confidence at Auburn that
• 9:54
  they will be able to do it
• 9:56
  >> before or on signing day. Signing day
• 9:58
  obviously next Wednesday. That's the
• 10:00
  other crazy aspect of this. Last year
• 10:02
  was the first year where signing day was
• 10:03
  moved up from kind of mid to late
• 10:05
  December to the first Wednesday of
• 10:07
  December. Last year obviously the Iron
• 10:08
  Bowl in Tuscaloosa. a little different
• 10:10
  this year. You get guys on campus and
• 10:12
  turn around and sign three, four days
• 10:14
  later. Um, so there's still confidence
• 10:15
  at Auburn that they can get the Wells
• 10:17
  brothers. Look, if you can close on Cory
• 10:19
  Wells and you can close on Tavian
• 10:21
  Branch, it was always going to be a
• 10:22
  smaller defensive line class, but that'd
• 10:24
  be a nice little hall. Not nothing
• 10:26
  little about it with those guys King
• 10:28
  Williams.
• 10:28
  >> Yeah, especially when you think about,
• 10:29
  look, hold on to Jordan Crawford, hold
• 10:31
  on Malik Audrey and Darion Smith and
• 10:33
  Jared Smith, all the guys you've got up
• 10:34
  front on now this young defensive line
• 10:36
  group. Keep those guys. cuz I add a few
• 10:38
  big pieces. That's that's what you're
• 10:40
  looking for. And look, this is a roster
• 10:42
  that if you can hold on to the majority
• 10:44
  of them, look, this is a roster built to
• 10:45
  win. And I think that's the selling
• 10:46
  point for not only these recruits, but
• 10:48
  it's the selling point for whoever the
• 10:50
  new coach is as well. Jason, it needs to
• 10:52
  be discussed. Maybe two of the biggest
• 10:54
  visitors that are here are commitments.
• 10:55
  Bray Wulmarmac, Jace Matthews, guys that
• 10:57
  you've been fighting to hold on to with
• 10:59
  Texas A&M and these other schools, Old
• 11:00
  Miss, pushing for them. Brillin Wack,
• 11:03
  especially the fivestar safety,
• 11:05
  >> felt like Texas A&M was in a really good
• 11:07
  spot to flip him. He has not flipped to
• 11:08
  this point, which is very advantageous
• 11:10
  for Auburn. The longer it goes, it feels
• 11:12
  like there's better chance. He's been
• 11:13
  waiting to see what happens with DJ
• 11:14
  Durkin, waiting to see what happens with
• 11:16
  TJ Rushing. So, getting him back is
• 11:18
  huge. Look, it was going to be a smaller
• 11:20
  class kind of the whole way in the 2026
• 11:22
  cycle, and there were a handful of guys
• 11:23
  that they really, really wanted. They
• 11:25
  invested in. They wanted those guys.
• 11:27
  Brillen WCK, Jace Matthews, Pton Fzone,
• 11:29
  you know, the linebackers. I feel very
• 11:31
  confident that they'll sign with Auburn.
• 11:33
  So, these other guys that you're
• 11:34
  fighting to kind of hold on to,
• 11:35
  >> it's huge to get them back on campus
• 11:37
  this final weekend.
• 11:38
  >> It feels like those are the two that you
• 11:39
  started to circle a little bit going.
• 11:40
  Look, those Mississippi guys, how does
• 11:41
  that look? Um, hey, how does the the
• 11:44
  uncertainty in Mississippi could impact
• 11:46
  them as well because that's really the
• 11:47
  spot that people thought maybe maybe it
• 11:49
  might be Old Miss, now there's
• 11:50
  uncertainty there. Um, yeah, I think
• 11:52
  tonight would be a big deal to showcase
• 11:53
  them and to showcase what you can do.
• 11:55
  Like I said, the future of this program.
• 11:57
  >> Jason, moving on. 2027s, 2028s. Not
• 11:59
  going to touch a lot on those guys
• 12:00
  specifically. More so just saying
• 12:02
  blanket statement. Look, it goes into a
• 12:04
  dead period after this for all of
• 12:05
  December. January it opens back up.
• 12:07
  Although early January will probably be
• 12:09
  more of a focus on the transfer portal.
• 12:11
  >> But this is kind of your chance. Again,
• 12:13
  we talked about it. Just impress them.
• 12:16
  This atmosphere will impress them.
• 12:18
  >> Get them kind of hooked on Auburn. A lot
• 12:19
  of these guys already are. Guys like
• 12:20
  Donovan Moore, Chicken Ger, the Alabama
• 12:23
  commit. Carlos May from Ramsey, the
• 12:25
  defensive lineman. Those guys, look,
• 12:27
  they already like Auburn. they've
• 12:28
  already been here a bunch. Just keep
• 12:29
  getting them kind of on the line and get
• 12:30
  them hooked and see it again.
• 12:32
  >> Yep. Yep. Get them here for a huge game
• 12:33
  and then say, "Hey, we'll see you back
• 12:35
  in January for Junior Day."
• 12:36
  >> Whoever the coach is, we'll uh we'll see
• 12:38
  you there.
• 12:39
  >> I agree. So, yeah, huge big opportunity
• 12:41
  from a a game standpoint, [music]
• 12:43
  recruiting standpoint, all those things
• 12:44
  tonight. And so, see what happens. It's
• 12:46
  going to be a lot of fun.
• 12:47
  >> Yeah. So, we'll see you guys there all
• 12:49
  over at auburn undercover.com. We'll be
• 12:51
  back here [music] saying who knows what
• 12:53
  in the postgame. Uh hopefully not
• 12:55
  getting destroyed by the sprinklers.
• 12:57
  [music]
• 12:57
  >> Yes.
• 12:58
  >> Um we'll catch you guys after the game.