Bryan Harsin expresses frustration in penalty numbers

There have been numerous issues for Bryan Harsin at Auburn, both on and off the field. In 2022, one of Auburn’s on-field problems has been with penalties. The Tigers are 84th in the country for penalties per game. Against Georgia, Auburn committed 10 penalties.

Penalties can cost teams games, especially close games. It’s a problem that Bryan Harsin is trying to address with Auburn, as he explained his frustrations to the media.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s freaking frustrating,” Bryan Harsin said. “It is. It’s frustrating as hell. And you don’t know why. I mean, that’s one of the things too, it happens, like it’s not changing in the game. And right or wrong, you can argue it all you want. But it’s not going to change the outcome right there in that moment. So you’ve got to respond to that.”

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“And, you know, we’ve been saying it too: first and 10, second and five is different than second and 15. Right? First and 15. So, against really good teams, you start getting behind the chains, it’s the advantage to the defense. Alright? And then even, you know, on the defensive side as well, I mean, some costly penalties to right, where we have a chance to make a big play, and we might have an offsides or something that way. So, you know, that goes back to we’ve got to play more clean.”

Bryan Harsin also explained that not all penalties are created equal. An effort penalty like a holding or pass interference is different than a mental error, like a false start or personal foul.

“And, you know, before I get too deep into that, I mean, you go back and watch, I mean, why was it a penalty? Was it a penalty? You know. How are we playing? You know, was it one of those that, you know, from just a technique standpoint, we were just poor on it? Or was it lack of discipline?”

Bryan Harsin explained that penalties are always going to hurt you. They stop momentum. A poorly timed five-yard penalty can stop an offensive drive. That can steal momentum and change the outcome of a game.

“But anytime that you’re trying to create momentum, penalties are going to hurt you in those in those ways, where it hurts momentum. And, you know, that was just too much. I think we had 10 tonight. You know. And then we had, I think, eight in the first half. So it’s just too many, alright, to put yourself in a position to create the momentum that you need,” Bryan Harsin said.

“And in games like this, and on the road, you need to have momentum. You’ve got to find ways to give your team a chance to go out there and sustain some drives, create some field position and have some momentum in a game like this.”

Paul Finebaum predicted the end of the Bryan Harsin era

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum has been predicting the end for Bryan Harsin for a long time. Now, he’s set a specific date for it. Finebaum expects Auburn to fire Harsin after the Ole Miss game, going into a bye week.

“We won’t waste time on Bryan Harsin. If he has not been fired by the time this podcast hits air, that’s Auburn’s loss, not ours,” Paul Finebaum laughed. “He should be. At this point, I mean it’s getting ridiculous. But clearly, if he hasn’t gone today, he’ll go after the Ole Miss game.”