Good morning. After a string of four losses, it’d be easy, or perhaps easier, to pull back. Disengage. But that wasn’t the sentiment expressed by Coach Hugh Freeze in the locker room on Saturday night after the loss to Ole Miss. And speaking to the press afterward, he faced the outcome head-on, saying, “We’ve got to coach them better.”

“Who's going to work when it's hard? That's been our biggest test,” quarterback Robby Ashford recently said, calling on fans to show up once again at Jordan-Hare on Saturday as Auburn takes on Mississippi State.

🏀 This week’s Auburn-Made feature, NBA edition
🥇 Ryan Kinnane named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
🐅 And much, much more!

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📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Marching Orders. It was the fourth straight loss for the Tigers, but those four losses came against four of the top teams in the SEC. The last three opponents are ranked No. 1, No. 15, and No. 12, respectively, this week. No conference game is easy, but the schedule lightens up some for Auburn with Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas in the next three weeks.

So again, as the Tigers prepare to play Mississippi State on Saturday, the message has remained the same. Stick together. Keep moving forward.

"Good things happen when you keep showing up, and you keep putting your best foot forward," quarterback Payton Thorne said. "That's what we're going to do. I know that's what my mindset is, and I have confidence that the rest of my teammates are thinking the same way. We're just going to show up, have a good practice today, have a good practice the rest of the week, and go out there and play well on Saturday."

"We just come in here every day, and we know we've got to get to work," said fellow quarterback Robby Ashford. "Who wants to put in the work when we're in a bad stretch like we are? Who's going to keep coming out every day and giving everything they have for this team and this program?

"We've got a great opportunity in front of us to go out and win these last five games and start off with a bang this week. That's what we're hoping to do. It's going to be a dog fight, but that's what you come to Auburn to do – to play in great games like this."

On paper, Auburn and Mississippi State are not all that different. Both are fighting to become bowl-eligible while playing for first-year head coaches.

The X-factor Saturday might be where the game is played. Jordan-Hare Stadium. It's one of the best home-field advantages in college football, and the Tigers need it to be rocking once again like it was the last two times out against Ole Miss and Georgia.

"We need it again," Ashford said. "The crowd last week was great. They brought their everything just like they do every home game. In a stretch like we're in now, we need them the most. We have the best fan base in the country, and we need them to be a part of this. They play a big advantage in us playing at home. When it gets loud in Jordan-Hare, there's nothing like it. So, we need them to be able to cause chaos for the other team."

INSIDE THE SERIES: MISSISSIPPI STATE

The numbers are certainly in Auburn’s favor. The Tigers hold a 65-29-2 (.697) record all-time against Mississippi State and have won eight of the last 14 matchups against the Bulldogs. Mississippi State has won two in a row, including a 43-34 win at Auburn in 2021. Prior to that, Auburn had won four of five in the series and scored 56 (2019), 49 (2017) and 38 (2016) points in three of those victories.

Auburn has a 30-8 advantage in all games played at Auburn, a 14-8-1 lead in all games played at Starkville, and a 21-13-1 advantage in games played at neutral sites.

BY THE NUMBERS

Despite the string of recent losses, Auburn is still throwing up some incredibly favorable numbers.

29: With 91 yards rushing against Ole Miss, Jarquez Hunter moved up six spots to No. 29 on Auburn's list of career rushers with 1,572 yards. He passed the likes of Tommy Lorino, Kamryn Pettway, Terry Henley, JaTarvious Whitlow, Kam Martin, and Rudi Johnson.

16: Donovan Kaufman and Zion Puckett each pulled down an interception last Saturday against Ole Miss. Auburn has now forced a turnover in 16 straight games dating back to last season. It's the Tigers' longest streak since forcing one in 18 straight games in 2007-08.

9: In total, Auburn has nine interceptions for the season. That's tops among all teams in the SEC and already ahead of what the Tigers finished with a year ago (6). Jaylin Simpson leads the way with four picks, and he's one of five players with an INT this season.

28: After facing four of the SEC's top five offenses to start conference play, Auburn's remaining four SEC opponents (Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Alabama) rank 11th, 10th, 14th, and eighth in the league in scoring offense, averaging 28 points per game.

Auburn and Mississippi State will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be televised on SEC Network with Dave Neal, Derek Mason, and Taylor Davis on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown, and Will Herring, who will have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com, and on the Auburn app.

Fans attending this week's game are encouraged to wear orange.
 
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⚾️ Just eight days until Auburn Baseball’s fall matchup against LA Tech.

🏈 Impact players in the secondary with an astounding nine interceptions.

💪🏼 6’10 forward Caleb Wilson of Atlanta says, “See you on the Plains!”

🔼 Life On the Line. Having been rated a top 10 interior line recruit by ESPN and Rivals and maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average all four years of high school, Connor Lew offers an insightful take on Auburn football.

THREE QUESTIONS WITH OL CONNOR LEW

Q: Describe this past Saturday and coming in to play against Ole Miss.  

A: It was awesome. Growing up, you always dream of playing in the SEC. That's always been a goal of mine, and that's part of the reason why I'm here at Auburn – to play in the SEC. To get that opportunity to go out and compete with the team in Jordan-Hare in that atmosphere; it was just amazing.

Q: What did fellow OL Gunner Britton tell you before you took the field?

A: Gunner and I are close. He was one of the first people I looked to coming off the sideline, just getting ready to go in. He was like, "You're ready for this moment. You're not unprepared. Just go do what you do." It helped a lot. You know he has your back. I know [Kam] Stutts to my right has my back. Really everybody has my back. Just going out there and not worried about messing up or doing the wrong thing. Just go out there and do what I do.

Q: After playing last Saturday, what has this week been like for you now that you have a better idea of what to expect?

A: The only difference I'm thinking about is now I know I'm going to start. But Coach [Jake] Thornton and all the coaches, they always preach, "Prepare like you're a starter." That's how I've been attacking every week since UMass, the first week of the season. I'm trying to treat it as normal as possible, except this time, I know I'm going to be out there starting.

🔼 Auburn Made. Premium Grade. The 2023-24 NBA season tipped off Tuesday night. For Auburn fans, the season officially begins Wednesday with all five former players in action for the first time.

Among those playing Wednesday night is Walker Kessler, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, who is coming off a season for the Utah Jazz in which he averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He finished third in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting.

"It was just about having confidence in what I do," Kessler said. "At Auburn, the three things I did the most were rebound, block shots, and run. I've always been in the headspace that I want to do whatever it takes to win. That's when I'm playing my best basketball. I think when I got the opportunity, that kind of took over."

Kessler is primed for even more success in his sophomore campaign in the NBA. The 7-foot big man has played a full season at the next level, and he also gained more experience this summer playing for Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

"At the beginning of last year, it was all new. It was all foreign," Kessler said. "Being able to hit the ground running this year and understand what I'm getting into before I even go into it, it's just going to allow me to start even better than last year."

Kessler is one of five former Auburn players currently in the NBA, along with his former teammate Jabari Smith (Houston Rockets), Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers), Chuma Okeke (Orlando Magic) and JT Thor (Charlotte Hornets). Sharife Cooper is expected to open the 2023-24 season in the G League with the Cleveland Charge.

Though Kessler only played with Smith while at Auburn, he still has a connection to all the former Tigers he runs into while playing in the NBA.

"There's definitely a connection," he said. "Every time I see Chuma or Isaac. I haven't seen Sharife a lot unless it's like Summer League. Every time I see Jabari, the Auburn connection is real. In the past five years, it feels like every year, we've had a first-round pick or a draft pick. It's very cool. Even JT Thor – seeing him too.”

"It's definitely real, and that connection will always be there."

Auburn will open its season in less than two weeks when the Tigers travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to take on No. 20 Baylor on Nov. 7. They're back at home later that week for Tipoff on the Plains, and the home opener against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 10.

Brains and Brawn. Auburn cross country runner Ryan Kinnane was named SEC Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.

The senior from Wichita, Kansas, earned his undergraduate degree in Spring 2023 in aviation management with a minor in business. Kinnane had a 3.95 undergraduate grade point average and is currently working on his Master of Business Administration.

It is the second year in a row that Kinnane has been named the SEC Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. He is the second men's Auburn cross country student-athlete in program history to receive the award joining Ty McCormack, who won the initial award in 2014.

This season, Kinnane has been awarded SEC Runner of the Week, Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll, Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll, and was the first Auburn men's cross country athlete ever to win UTSFCCCA national athlete of the week honors.

Kinnane has raced in three meets this season and was Auburn's top finisher in each meet, including a first-place finish at the Southern Showcase in the 8k with a time of 23:19.90.

The SEC also honored Ole Miss's Loral Winn, who won the SEC Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The winning duo will be recognized at the SEC Cross Country Championships in Columbia, South Carolina, this Friday, October 27.

This year's championships will be contested at the Charwood Golf Course, with the men's 8k starting at 9:08 a.m. CT, followed by the women's 6k at 9:50 a.m. CT. Both races will be televised live on the SEC Network.

🏆 VICTORY FORMATION

On To Victory is giving you a chance to win a helmet signed by Head Coach Hugh Freeze AND tickets to THE Iron Bowl on November 25th!

Every Tiger fan can enter by clicking the link and signing up. One winner will be notified following Saturday’s game.

🤔 TIGER TRIVIA

Do You Know Bo? With the fall season for Auburn baseball only eight days away, today’s trivia question turns to America’s favorite pastime.

If you’re an Auburn fan, you surely know Bo Jackson and his multi-sport abilities. Before playing football at Auburn, Jackson received a draft offer from the New York Yankees directly out of high school.

Today’s question: What year did Bo Jackson receive the offer from the Yankees?

Think you know the answer? Scroll to the bottom to find out!

🐅 ONE BIG THING

I Wish I Was a Little Bit Taller. Introducing Auburn freshman Yakiya Milton. She skipped the first grade and was always the youngest in her class. Now she’s one of the youngest women’s college basketball players in the SEC, if not the country. In fact, she won’t turn 18 until late in the season.

At 6-foot-4 and just 17 years old, Milton had to grow into her body as a junior high and high school player. She started out playing volleyball but made the switch to basketball in sixth grade.

Her play – regardless of age – sufficiently impressed Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris in the spring of 2023 to offer her a scholarship just days after watching her play in a weekend tournament.

Read the rest of the article to learn more about this two-time all-conference selection who helped her team to a state Final Four appearance.

📬 FORWARDED BY A FRIEND

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📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday 10/27

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITF 80K

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ Roberta Alison Invitational

🏃🏻‍♂️ Men’s Cross Country SEC Championship @ 9:30 a.m. CT

🏃🏽‍♀️ Women’s Cross Country SEC Championship @ 9:45 a.m. CT

🐎 Equestrian vs. South Carolina @ 3:00 p.m. CT

🏐 Volleyball @ Georgia @ 6:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network | Live Video 

Saturday 10/28

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITF 80K

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ Roberta Alison Invitational

🏈 Football vs. Mississippi State @ 2:30 p.m. CT

Sunday 10/29

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITF 80K

⚽️ Soccer SEC Tournament

🏐 Volleyball @ Alabama @ 11:00 a.m. CT on SEC Network | Live Video 

🐅 Click here to view the entire Auburn Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 1982!

The New York Yankees drafted him in the second round of the 1982 draft, but Jackson accepted a football scholarship to Auburn University instead.

Jackson had a legendary football career at Auburn, rushing for 4,303 yards with 43 touchdowns during his four years as a Tiger. His 1,786 rushing yards as a senior earned him the Heisman Trophy as college football’s most outstanding player in 1985.

As talented as he was in football, his goal was to play professional baseball. “My first love is baseball,” he once said, “and it has always been a dream of mine to be a major league player.

Jackson played eight years in the majors from 1986 to 1994, including several seasons in the late 1980s with successful Royals teams and 1993 with the division-winning Chicago White Sox. While on the Sox, he played with Frank Thomas, who had also played football at Auburn University.

🐅 Have a great Friday, y’all