AUBURN — One of Auburn’s top recruits from the last class and a former No. 1 player in JUCO, Jeffrey M’Ba, went down against Texas A&M with what appeared to be a lower-body injury. As Auburn prepares for Western Kentucky, it is still unclear if the Tigers will have M’Ba along the defensive front.
“Right now, man, he is day to day; definitely can’t rule him out,” said interim head coach Carnell Williams. “We're hopeful that he can play. It’s going to come down honestly to a game-time decision.”
Appearing in eight of Auburn’s 10 games this year, the sophomore defensive tackle has racked up eight tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and one forced fumble.
M’ba’s impact has not been felt on the stat sheet, but with an already thin defensive line, his ability to plug running lanes and give relief to the likes of Colby Wooden and Jayson Jones is crucial to the Tigers' success on defense, especially as the team prepares for the high-powered offense of Western Kentucky.
The Hilltoppers' offense is No. 15 in the nation in scoring with 37.9 points per game, and they do it by passing the ball more than most of the teams in college football. Under head coach and former quarterback himself Tyson Helton, the Hilltoppers pass the ball 41.5 times per game, the eighth-most in the country.
With such a passing attack, Auburn will need its pass rush to show up once again, and that includes the unit being at full strength.
“They get the ball out so fast the pass rush is definitely going to be important,” Williams said. “I think what's most important is you know, man, we’ve got to rally to the football you know we’ve got to fly around we’ve got to be lights out.”
Auburn’s final home game will kick off this Saturday at 3 p.m. CST as the Tigers look to get to 5-6 on the season and hold onto a chance at a bowl game.
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