After its second and final bye week of the season, Auburn will return home to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday against Mercer in its final non-conference matchup of the regular season.
Looking to keep their hopes of postseason play alive with a win, the Tigers lead the all-time series against Mercer 13-0, including an 8-0 record against the Bears at home. Auburn will honor 17 players for Senior Day prior to kickoff, in addition to national championship teams from 1958, 1983, 1993 and 2004, which will be honored during the game.
Mercer waltzes into this one on a nine-game win streak after claiming a second straight Southern Conference title following a 63-17 route over Chattanooga a week ago. It’s the first time in 16 years the Bears have accomplished that feat, after head coach Mike Jacobs led his squad to an undefeated record in conference play.
Here are the biggest things to look for in the game:
Deuce’s starting debut
After a couple of weeks of speculation on whether or not starting quarterback Ashton Daniels – who has played in three games this season, one game away from the four-game minimum NCAA players are required to withhold from to maintain a redshirt year – would suit up and exhausts his redshirt status for next season, interim head coach DJ Durkin put those antics to rest on Monday as he announced Daniels would not play.
On Thursday, it was reported by Tom Loy of 247Sports that freshman quarterback Deuce Knight is expected to start. Durkin confirmed later in the day.
“He's earned it," Durkin said. "He's done a great job, and we're excited to see him go play."
Knight, a highly-touted prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ recruiting rankings, received limited action in mop-up duty against Ball State in Week 2 of the Tigers’ season. He completed 2-of-5 passes for 20 yards and added 16 yards rushing on four carries.
How will Knight handle the limelight in front of what will mark a 21st consecutive sellout crowd in Jordan-Hare Stadium? It remains to be seen. Mercer brings in the 20th-best total defense in the FCS and is no pushover.
A lackluster performance, if it were to happen, would not be indicative of Knight’s future with the program, as everyone on staff believes he is the future of the Auburn football program.
Can Auburn limit an explosive Bears’ offense?
The nightmare of Diego Pavia and New Mexico State walking into Jordan-Hare Stadium two years ago and waltzing away with a dominant 31-10 win will forever loom large in the minds of the Auburn faithful.
And this year’s Mercer squad is certainly capable of spoiling Auburn’s hopes at a bowl game if the Tigers come out lethargic, especially on the defensive end.
Mercer boasts the No. 1 total offense in the FCS, averaging 520.7 yards per game. Nearly 350 of the Bears’ total yards per game come through the air (344.7), led by a dynamic freshman quarterback in Braden Atkinson.
Atkinson has exploded onto the college football scene with a whopping 3,252 yards passing, which leads all FCS and FBS quarterbacks. He has tossed 33 touchdowns, which is tied for first among FCS and FBS quarterbacks, and has thrown for over 300 yards in every game except one.
Look for the Tigers’ defense to get home on Atkinson with their front seven to keep pressure off the backend of the unit – Auburn owns the fourth-worst passing defense in the SEC.
Let Cobb work
The Tigers’ staff is undoubtedly going to want to see what Knight can do leading the offense in his first start of the season to get a good grasp on the quarterback situation heading into next year.
But he doesn’t have to do it all alone.
Auburn boasts the fourth-leading rusher in the SEC in Jeremiah Cobb, and it needs to utilize his legs on Saturday. Cobb is just 96 yards away from surpassing the 1,000-yard mark this season, which would be the 31st 1,000-yard season in program history and second consecutive after Jarquez Hunter ran for 1,201 a season ago.
Mercer owns the third-best rushing defense in the FCS, but Auburn will have a distinct size advantage in the trenches and should ultimately be able to run at will on Saturday.
Get out healthy
Despite a few season-ending injuries, Auburn is coming into Saturday’s matchup with a relatively clean bill of health.
Wide receiver Cam Coleman, who dealt with a nagging ankle injury suffered in the Vanderbilt game, is “full go”, per Durkin. Starting center Connor Lew is still sidelined with an ACL injury, but Mason Murphy excelled at that spot, and Izavion “Too Tall” Miller slid in at right tackle.
Defensively, Auburn was dealt some unfortunate news: linebacker Demarcus Riddick underwent shoulder surgery during the bye week and will be out for the remainder of the season, along with safety Champ Anthony, who is dealing with a leg injury.
With two games remaining and bowl game aspirations still alive, Auburn will need all the firepower it can get for the remainder of the season, and it surely needs to get out of Saturday’s matchup against an outmatched squad with zero injuries.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on SECN+.
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