An injury-plagued Auburn defense needed to rely on young players to carry the load of its veterans in Saturday's game against Arkansas. Several players answered the call, but one shattered expectations.
Auburn head coach Alex Golesh called on true freshman Shadarius Toodle on Saturday to step up in the absence of Bryce Deas, who was ruled out after injuring his wrist during practice earlier this week, and DeMarcus Riddick, who exited Saturday's game early with an injury. Toodle responded by recording a team-leading 11 tackles, three sacks, and 4 1/2 tackles for loss in the Tigers' 26-23 win over Arkansas.
After a game like that, it is hard to believe that Saturday's game was the first time Toodle played for the Tigers this season. Auburn head
coach Alex Golesh discussed Toodle's development after the game and took a little blame for waiting so long to play him.
"(Shadarius) Toodle, for a guy that was on the practice squad three weeks ago, we intentionally moved him so that we felt like he was getting close to ready at this point and for him to go have the game that he did. Three sacks, TFLs all over the place, did not look like a freshman. Maybe waited too long to play him, but sometimes that’s how it shakes."
Toodle played well, but Auburn's win was an all-around effort. Here is a look at which players stood out in Auburn football's win over Arkansas on Saturday, as voted by the staff at Auburn Wire and Auburn fans.
Taylor Jones: Keshaun Singleton
Singleton was Auburn's leading pass-catcher on Saturday, hauling in six passes for 58 yards and a score in the Tigers' 26-23 win. Singleton was on the receiving end of Byrum Brown's longest completed pass of the day, which was the 28-yard pitch-and-catch in the end zone to put Auburn up 23-16 with 3:56 to go in the game.
Phillip Jordan: Byrum Brown
Byrum Brown totaled 300 yards in Auburn's win over Arkansas with three touchdowns. Brown extended his rushing-touchdown streak to seven games with his 4th-quarter score, and threw multiple touchdown passes for the first time since Auburn's Week 3 loss to Florida.
Jac Myrick: Shadarius Toodle
Shadarius Toodle was thrown into the fire this week after it was revealed Friday that linebacker Bryce Deas would not play against Arkansas after injuring his wrist in practice. He responded by recording a team-leading 11 tackles, three sacks, and 4 1/2 tackles for loss.
Talk about a debut @D1Shadarius1 😤🔥
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 7, 2026
11 Tackles | 10 Solo | 3 Sacks | 4.5 TFL | 1 PBU pic.twitter.com/XFOswjc82C
Fan vote: Shadarius Toodle
Auburn fans have spoken. They have chosen freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle as the "Tiger of the Game" in Auburn's 26-23 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Toodle received 82% of the vote, beating Byrum Brown, Chas Nimrod, and Keshaun Singleton for the honor. To have a say in who wins the next "Tiger of the Game", head over to Auburn Wire on X to cast your vote following every game.
Taylor Jones is the lead writer for Auburn Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky. FollowAuburn Wire on X andFacebook.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Tigers of the Game: Shadarius Toodle 'did not look like a freshman' in debut
