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Six Sacks, Zero Giveaways, and a Freshman Linebacker Nobody Had Circled
A weekly, unique recap show for each college football team that played a game. This unique look at what occured has a forward-looking approach and gets you what you need to know. For hardcore fans, casual onlookers and the gambler looking for an edge. Check out the Depth Dossier!
This is the Depth Dossier: the Auburn Tigers, Week 10.
Auburn found a way to survive Arkansas, winning 26 to 23 after doing basically nothing for a half and then flipping a switch.
The Tigers trailed 10 to 3 at halftime after managing just 18 rushing yards and 27 total yards across their first six possessions. Then everything changed. Quarterback Byrum Brown carried the comeback with 300 total yards and three touchdowns, including a go-ahead score on the ground and a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver Keshaun Singleton. The defense, banged up and missing multiple regulars, still got after the passer, racking up six sacks led by freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle's three. Kicker Alex McPherson missed an extra point for the second straight week, but he drilled the game-winning 43-yarder with 34 seconds left. Eric Winters sealed it by recovering a fumbled lateral on the final play. Auburn's now 5 and 4, one win away from bowl eligibility.
The split between the two halves is really the whole story here. Auburn's first six drives produced just 27 total yards. The last six produced 254, with 165 of that on the ground, and five scores. Head coach Alex Golesh didn't sugarcoat it. He said the first six drives were as bad as you can imagine, and then the last six, they looked like an offense. Whatever changed at halftime worked almost immediately.
Turnovers decided this game. Auburn played clean, zero giveaways, while Arkansas turned it over twice, including that fumbled lateral on the final snap. In a three-point game, that's the difference.
Special teams swung things too. Arkansas's kicker missed from 53 and 51 yards out, points Auburn didn't have to answer for. And there was a strange officiating moment in the fourth quarter, when a deep ball that cornerback Blake Woodby appeared to intercept got overturned on review, ruled touched out of bounds by the Arkansas receiver. That tied the game at 16 instead of ending the Arkansas possession. Auburn had to overcome that call rather than benefit from it, which makes the finish even more impressive.
Now let's get into the depth chart, because the linebacker situation is the thing to watch going forward. Linebacker DeMarcus Riddick went down in the first quarter and had to be evaluated, adding to a group that was already missing Bryce Deas. Into that gap stepped Toodle, who had a breakout game: 11 tackles, three sacks, four and a half tackles for loss. He's now moving into full-time starter reps, and Elijah Melendez's playing time is worth tracking if Riddick or Deas stay out.
Auburn was already short-handed before kickoff. Safety Sylvester Smith-Reed, tight end Hunter Herring and offensive lineman Tai Buster were all out, while cornerback Andre Jordan Junior and wide receiver Jeremiah Koger were game-time decisions who ended up playing. None of that changed the secondary rotation, where Newboy Fegans, who picked off his third pass of the season, Woodby and Kaleb Harris held their spots, with Winters logging situational snaps late that turned into the game-sealing fumble recovery.
On offense, nothing's moved at quarterback or running back. Brown is entrenched under center, and Jeremiah Cobb remains the primary ball carrier with Omar Mabson in a relief role. At wide receiver, a clear top three has emerged with Singleton, Christian Neptune and Chas Nimrod all getting real volume, and Singleton and Nimrod both scoring touchdowns in the comeback.
Next week Auburn heads into a game against Mississippi State, and the health of that linebacker room, Riddick, Deas, and just how much more Toodle can carry, is the story that follows them as they chase bowl eligibility.
This was the depth dossier. For everything college football, be it depth charts, data or dossiers, head over to C F B Depth dot com. We will be back next week. This was an AI-generated podcast from content developed by real human beings passionate about college football.