After a decisive 42-3 win over Ball State last weekend, No. 24 Auburn will host South Alabama for the first-ever meeting between the two in its homecoming game on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Jaguars will be the 12th in-state opponent Auburn has played in program history, with the Tigers compiling a 63-4-1 record against the group. Additionally, Auburn has won its last 33 homecoming games and is set to play in front of a 17th straight sellout crowd in Jordan-Hare Stadium, which will match a record previously set in the 2013-2016 seasons.
Led by second-year head coach Major Applewhite, South Alabama is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Tulane a week ago. Overcoming a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter, a failed two-point conversion attempt with under a minute to play gave the Jaguars their first loss of the season, ultimately falling 33-31.
Here are the biggest things to look for on Saturday:
Will Auburn’s rushing attack be affected by thin running back room?
Auburn currently sits atop the SEC in rushing offense with 265.5 yards per game, which is 12th nationally, as it seemingly has had no issues on the ground through two weeks of the season.
Last week, starting running back Damari Alston was held out of the game against Ball State due to a shoulder injury. All accounts point toward Alston being healthy enough to play this week, but head coach Hugh Freeze reiterated on Thursday that Alston will be a game-time decision.
Additionally, sophomore running back Durrell Robinson is out, indefinitely, with what Freeze called a “freak injury’ in which he suffered during last week’s game. Robinson woke up on Sunday morning with a large collection of blood on his thigh and was rushed to a hospital in Birmingham for further treatment.
That leaves the Tigers with three scholarship running backs on board. Freeze stated on Wednesday during the SEC Media Teleconference that true freshman Alvin Henderson is probably not ready to be thrown into the fire just yet. And, Jeremiah Cobb, who leads the team in rushing with 195 yards and three touchdowns after a 121-yard performance last week, is playing with a soft cast after dealing with a broken hand injury.
South Alabama has struggled against the run throughout its two games this season, ranking 122nd in the nation in rush defense with 204 yards given up. The Jaguars gave up 241 yards on the ground a week ago to Tulane.
With the trio of Jackson Arnold, Cobb and Omar Mabson II ready to carry the load, the Tigers should be fine in that department on Saturday. However, Freeze could opt to air it out again this week in hopes of refining the Tigers’ passing attack before heading to Norman next week.
Gibbs takes over on long field goals
After a 51-yard field goal attempt, which was missed badly from sophomore walk-on kicker Towns McGough, Freeze opened up the competition for Auburn’s long field goal attempts this week during practice.
Alex McPherson, still trying to regain his strength from a year-long battle with ulcerative colitis, is still set to handle PATs and shorter field goal attempts. But Freeze gave Southern Miss transfer Connor Gibbs the nod on anything that McPherson cannot handle, which is also to assume Gibbs will handle kickoff duties.
McGough hobbled off the field with an apparent ankle injury after the attempt, but Freeze said he was moving around well on Monday and that he would be “OK.”
Nonetheless, Saturday is an opportunity for the Tigers to clean up their kicking game woes, which date back to last season. As previously mentioned, they certainly don’t want that issue to rear its ugly head again this season.
South Alabama is no pushover
Not to get caught up in the glamor of Homecoming and the Oklahoma game on the horizon, but South Alabama will march into Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday with one goal: to upset a top-25 team on the road.
And it’s certainly capable of doing so.
Taking a highly-regarded Tulane squad down to the wire last week, South Alabama boasts plenty of weapons offensively to give the Tigers some fits on Saturday.
Led by quarterback Bishop Davenport, South Alabama averages nearly 400 yards per game. Running back Kentrell Bullock will aim for his seventh 100-yard rushing game of his career after hitting the century mark in both of the Jaguars' games this season. Wide receiver Devin Voisin has quickly established himself as Davenport’s top target and is second in the nation with three receiving touchdowns this season – on top of his 221 yards on 15 catches.
Defensively, the Jaguars have done a nice job of creating turnovers, as they have already jumped on four fumbles through two games, with one interception, tying them for No. 6 in the country in turnovers gained.
Auburn still ‘out-talents’ the Jaguars by a large margin, but it still needs to show it can go into this game and handle business to ensure a top-25 SEC opener wth Oklahoma is still in the books.
Can Auburn’s defense ride the momentum?
As previously mentioned, South Alabama has some weapons on the offensive side of the ball.
But Auburn’s defense, despite getting torched for 419 yards through the air against Baylor, has been quite the sight to see. The Tigers currently lead the SEC in rushing defense with just 30.5 yards given up through two games. They are also coming off a 14-tackle-for-loss performance against Ball State, the most since recording the same number against Ole Miss in 2014. Additionally, Auburn’s 68 total yards given up against Ball State were the fewest since giving up nine against Ole Miss in 1985.
Through two weeks, Auburn ranks No. 2 nationally in rush defense and total sacks (10) and ninth with 19 tackles for loss.
Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin will most certainly expect the game level of play against the Jaguars this Saturday, with another chance at honing in on some miscues before SEC play.
Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. on SECN.
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