Stadium Way Condos

Stadium Way Condos Stadium Way Condos are located 101 Ann Street - Auburn, Al. They are centrally located in Auburn.

11/10/2025

A Breath of Fresh Air
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Sorry for my absence during the recent coaching change. I wanted to get something out before our game at Vandy this past weekend, but a busy week and a tired mind add up to a blank page. So rather than read my thoughts about our team and my predictions for our game (which I assure you did not include 563 yards and 38 points), you will have to settle for post game thoughts.

So Hugh Freeze has been dismissed after an astoundingly poor performance at home against Kentucky. If the trend of the season had shown any possibility of improvement this may not have occurred in mid season. However the 10-3 loss at home, when favored by 10 ½ points, gave AD John Cohen little choice. I agree with the decision as I believe year 4 would have been more of the same.

After our first two SEC games against Oklahoma and Texas A&M I had serious concerns about our offense. For me the question was: ‘Is this a problem Hugh Freeze can fix? Or is Hugh Freeze the problem?’ That question has been answered.

I am so very proud of our team’s efforts in the Vandy game. An explosion of offense not seen this season. Well planned plays that were well executed and produced points. Cam Coleman showing everyone across the nation what an incredible talent he is. Ashton Daniels providing quick and accurate throws to our play-makers and scrambling effectively when needed. Jeremiah Cobb getting enough carries to establish the ground game and top the 100 yard mark. Needless to say if this offense had been present at the season’s start, several more wins would have been tallied.

Defensively, perhaps not our best game. But with the distractions of this week and with coaches doing double duty some letdown is understandable. Also give Vandy credit for their offensive abilities and those of a wily QB which we have seen plenty of before.

Now we must find a new head coach and possibly compete with several other SEC teams searching such as LSU, Florida, and Arkansas. LSU or Florida may make a bigger splash with their coaching hire, but Auburn does not need headlines or approvals from the media. Auburn needs a good coach that is a good match for our program. Auburn has all the resources to succeed with the right man in charge.

I am sure you have all seen or heard of possible hires for the job at Auburn. Here are a few names that have been mentioned for the position :

Lane Kiffin -- Miss HC
Jon Sumerall -- Tulane HC
Eli Drinkwitz -- Missouri HC
Brent Key -- Georgia Tech HC
Alex Golesh -- USF HC
James Franklin – formerly Penn State HC
Kenny Dillingham -- Arizona State HC
D.J. Durken -- Auburn DC
Jeff Brohm -- Louisville HC
Glenn Schumann -- Georgia DC

Auburn has an open date Saturday November 15th, but will return to action on November 22nd hosting Mercer at home.

War Eagle,
TAAB

10/24/2025

“0 - 4 in the SEC”
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We may see a QB change this weekend at Arkansas. I still believe in Jackson Arnold. He has his issues, but there are not many perfect QBs out there. Will Freeze go with a new signal caller? What does he have to lose? We have three supposedly solid QBs on the roster and if number one isn’t getting it done, why not try someone else?

My faith in in our head man is fading rapidly. He spent two years trying to coach-up Payton Thorne. That two years burned a lot of patience from the fan base. The tolerance was at a low level at the start of this season. Most expected significant improvement; all have been disappointed.

The Missouri game was yet another close loss. Opportunities were numerous throughout the game. Two missed field goals by a usually reliable kicker. Two early dropped passes by Cam Coleman – when will that happen again? With Auburn up 7-0, and a chance to increase its early lead, Jackson Arnold threw his first interception of the season. Preston Howard drops a sure 1st down pass with about 3 minutes to go in regulation. But after the other disappointments of this season, as the clock ran down, as overtime looked likely, how many of us thought we could rally and pull out a win? That same doubt is a heavy burden on our players. And we need to remove that doubt if we are to be successful. Good teams find a way to win, while bad teams find a way to lose.

While our offense continues it’s painful decline, our defense has been the bright spot this season. I was quite unsure after Baylor passed for over 400 yards against us in the opener, but the defense has been strong against the run and has corrected early problems in the secondary.

Offensively we appear to be quite the mess. I feel there are three areas of the offense in which we have failing grades:

1) Offensive line play. Supposedly a talented group individually, but as a unit they often fail to give Arnold a clean pocket for a reasonable amount of time. They seem easily fooled by stunts and blitzes by opposing defenses. Granted the 4 SEC teams we have played have good defenses, but this is an area in which we badly under perform.
2) QB play. Jackson Arnold is too slow on his progressions, often missing an open second or third choice receiver. He also is late on getting his throws out and gives the defense a chance to make a play on the ball. Offenses always perform better with improved quarterback play.
3) Play calling. I do not believe we do a good enough job getting Arnold open receiver targets. Our plays are either too predictable, or possibly just not sophisticated enough to get our receivers open.

The above is just my amateur opinion, as the next game in which I coach a football offense will be my first.

I am also disappointed in all the ill will aimed at the officiating crews. These SEC officials work hard to prepare for a game, and I personally believe they do a reasonable job on most every weekend. Now the replay system that we have needs work. When we see those replays and then hear the outcome announced I know that most of you are just like me: ‘What the heck are they looking at?’. The ACC allows you to hear the audio in the replay booth and know what they use in their decision making and why. We need more transparency about what happens to decide these replays in the SEC.

The area I would focus my ire regarding calls on the field is why we don’t scrutinize and penalize coaches who either outright cheat ( Oklahoma game), or work a situation to their advantage and get the rules bent (Kirby Smart timeout). Why aren’t these coaches reprimanded and fined? They work in the same system and environment the officials work, but we place too much of the blame on an underpaid ref instead of fining a multi-million dollar coach. JMHO.

So here we are, 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the SEC. We have a game this Saturday at the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-5, 0-3). Arkansas has shown some spark after firing Sam Pittman and installing Bobby Petrino as interim head coach. Like us, Arkansas also has close losses: 35-41 to Ole Miss, 31-34 to Tennessee, and 42-45 to Texas A&M. Both of these teams are struggling, but one will get their first SEC win this Saturday.

As of today we are a 3 point underdog on the road at Arkansas.
Kickoff is at 11:45 am Saturday, with TV coverage on the SEC network.

War Eagle,
TAAB

Calling a cheater a cheater
09/21/2025

Calling a cheater a cheater

09/19/2025

Three Games In
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Well here we are, three games into the 2025 season and your Auburn Tigers have a 3-0 start and currently sit at #22 in the AP football poll. Freeze got the opening road win against a capable team in Baylor, then followed up with two home wins over outmatched opponents. Tougher opponents await starting with Oklahoma on the road next week. First however lets review my ‘show me’ points from the preseason rant.

Jackson Arnold has checked all my boxes as our new field general. He can obviously handle himself as a runner, and can be quite elusive as well. His pocket awareness is good, moving when he needs to and throwing away a few instead of forcing a throw into coverage. He delivers an accurate ball although his receivers have hurt his stats with a number of drops. I am not sure how high his ceiling might be but as we start SEC play we will surely find out soon enough. I rate our QB play as much improved.

QB stats to date: 48 of 69 (69%), with 4 Tds, 0 INTs, 501 yards passing, and 192 yards rushing with 4 Tds

The offensive line play has been average in my book. Seems the run blocking is working better than the pass protection. Some of that may be the RBs not picking up blitzes well enough. If Freeze wants more explosive plays in the passing game then our protection needs to improve. Still work to do here.

At running back Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb have carried most of the load, and they have done it well. Alston has 84 yards on 16 carries and has unfortunately been held out the last two games with a dinged up shoulder. Cobb has been a more than adequate sub with 314 yards on 46 carries. Both backs are averaging over 5 yards per carry and have zero fumbles to date. So far so good at RB.

Our receivers have been cast as possibly the best in the SEC. Cam Coleman is a stud no doubt. Transfers Eric Singleton Jr and Horatio fields have also looked very capable. However, our passing game has been overshadowed by our running game to this point. That may be by design as new personnel may need more time to develop chemistry. So far defenses have lined up to prevent what they perceive as a big play passing game, and Freeze has made them pay with a very capable running attack. So be it. However I feel at times like our play calling or our route running fails to get open targets for Arnold to utilize. I know our receivers are very good, but I am not sure why our passing game does not excel. The jury is still out on this one.

Defensively we are still inconsistent. At times we are in the backfield getting a tackle for a loss, other times no one touches a runner until he is 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. We are rotating a lot of players along the front 7, gaining experience and keeping players rested. Hopefully this pays dividends down the road. Line play so far – adequate.

We were lead to believe before the season that our defensive secondary was talented and elite. They are not. At least not as a unit so far. Busted coverages seem common and are quite alarming as we enter the SEC gauntlet. In their defense, injuries to Rayshon Pleasant, Champ Anthony, and others have thrown younger players into the fray earlier than expected. However, this unit must play in sync as a cohesive body if they are to at least slow opposing offenses. Hopefully getting all the starters on the field this week will help. I am declaring a 3-alarm alert on the secondary. Much work needed here.

As a team I see good improvement. Offensively we have zero turnovers through three games and that is a key to future success. How good this offense can be will surely be known over the next three games, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Georgia. Defensively I don’t think we have settled in and peaked yet. Hopefully the best is yet to come.

Those next three games will determine a lot of where we will finish in the standings. If you are thinking we might be 6-0 in a few weeks; don’t. Just based on what I have seen so far I would be happy being at 4-2 at that point in the season. I might be wrong…. Show me!!

Auburn travels to Oklahoma for a 2:30 pm contest. TV coverage by ABC.
The Tigers are a 6.5 point underdog as of this date.

War Eagle
TAAB

08/14/2025

Auburn Preseason Look 2025
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“The Heat is On” – Glenn Frey, 1984

Love the song, but not the weather this summer. It has certainly been a hot year at least up until August when the highs moderated a bit back into the tolerable 80s. I am enjoying the break in the heat, and you can be sure the boys in fall camp appreciate the drop in temperatures, even if only a small amount.

It is year three for head coach Hugh Freeze, and from my point of view the heat is truly on. Athletic Director John Cohen hired Freeze to resurrect the Auburn football program and the first two seasons have gotten mixed reviews.

Basketball under coach Pearl just completed a second trip to the final four, losing to the eventual national champion in both trips. Baseball is expanding its facility and has just hosted Auburn’s first ever super regional. Auburn men's golf won a first ever national title in 2024. Equestrian, Gymnastics, Volleyball and others have all been in the post season of late.

As football has floundered over the last several years, other sports have competed at a high level. This news has not escaped the notice of coach Freeze, and I assure you it has been noted by AD Cohen. Freeze knows the expectations that come with a 6.5 million dollar paycheck. Those who agreed to that outlay expect results. Year three is pivotal for Freeze as it could tip his approval rating with fans and his bosses towards retention or termination. Whichever occurs, year three will lay the groundwork for the near future.

All that aside, there is football to be played and it is coming soon. The season will open with a challenging road trip to Baylor for a Friday night contest. This is a must win for Auburn and Hugh Freeze. A win will fill the Tigers with confidence and get them started on what could be a quick 3-0 start to the season. A loss will breed doubt and fear.

There is hope for optimism to start this new season. Hugh Freeze has continued to improve the talent level across every area of the team. But so far the increase in individual talents have not translated into more wins. That needs to change.

The quarterback room has no returners from last year’s squad. That may turn out to be a positive. Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold appears to be the likely starter this season. True freshman Duece Knight and Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels will fighting for the #2 job. All data available points to improvement at the QB position, but until it happens I am taking on the Missouri slogan – “Show me”.

Freeze seems to think this is the best offensive line at Auburn so far. Four starters return and two talented transfers have raised the level of play and depth. By all accounts we should see better QB pass protection and increased production in the running game. -- “Show me”

Returning running backs Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb bring experience to the position. Uconn transfer Durell Robinson, along with freshmen Alvin Henderson and Omar Mabson are hungry and ready to compete for time on the field. -- “Show me”

As it was last year, the Auburn receiving corps is loaded with talent. The tigers lost a good one in KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Malcom Simmons (Soph) is practicing and has recently been cleared from a domestic violence charge. Cam Coleman (Soph) and Eric Singleton Jr (Ga Tech) will have plenty of passes headed their way this year. Sophomore Perry Thompson and transfer Horatio Fields (Wake Forest) are pressing for more playing time. If QB Jackson Arnold can get the ball to our receivers on a regular basis, this may the best receiver group in recent memory-- “Show me”

Defensively retaining second year defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was huge. Year two under Durkin’s system hopefully brings a better understanding for each player of his position and how to react to the offense. There is more depth along the front alongside returning lineman Keldric Faulk (Jr) and Malik Blocton (Soph). The secondary led by Kayin Lee (Jr) has depth and added speed. -- “Show me”

Place kicker Alex McPherson (Jr) is ready to resume his duties after suffering through some health issues. Towns McGough (Soph) is ready to step in if needed. -- “Show me”

The 2025 season starts with a road game at Baylor on Friday August 29th, 7pm. TV coverage by ESPN.
The Tigers are a 2 point favorite as of this date.

War Eagle,

TAAB

07/30/2025

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Auburn, AL

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