The Tigers picked up perhaps the most impressive win of the young college football season on Saturday as they took down No. 6 Washington. It is a win that will look even better come the end of the season when the Huskies are crowned Pac-12 champions. Now Auburn has to avoid any sort of let down as they take on Alabama State.
By Steve Wright
Here are the three keys:
Establish a dominant ground game
The last time Auburn played against an FCS opponent the Tigers made hard work of it. In 2017 the Tigers took on Mercer, winning the game just 24-10 and averaging 3.3 yards per carry on the ground. Whether this was a case of the players not taking the game seriously, the team having not jelled together quite yet (it was Week 3 last season), or a little bit of both, it is fair to expect more from Auburn this time out.
Alabama State may have won its opener last week against Tuskegee, but the game showcased some serious vulnerabilities that Auburn should exploit. ASU allowed 273 yards on the ground and gave up 7.3 yards per play for the game. Auburn rushed for 147 yards against a Washington defense that will be one of the top statistical units in the country this season, so we need to see Kam Martin and JaTarvious Whitlow get on track here.
At least one of the two backs should pass the century mark before halftime, with the other joining him at some point during the second 30 minutes.
Aim for a shutout
It seems almost rude to go into a game against a lower division opponent looking for a shutout, but that is the mentality that Auburn should have here.
It has been a couple of seasons since the Tigers last held a foe to zero points (Alabama A&M in 2016) and the goal for Saturday on defense should be to replicate that performance. If the game goes as expected the Gus Malzahn will get the chance to cycle in a lot of his backups in this contest. While that will obviously affect the ability of the defense to keep the Hornets off of the board, that should be the challenge laid down to those young players desperate to prove something to get more playing time.
Commit fewer penalties
Saturday saw a penalty epidemic in the world of college football. Even usually disciplined programs were busy giving away free yardage, with Auburn contributing to the outbreak with 12 penalties against Washington. Penalties are the easiest way – along with turnovers – to keep an overmatched opponent in the game, so expect Malzahn to have Auburn playing a more disciplined brand of football this weekend.
The penalties against Washington ranged from the annoying (offside and false starts) to the desperate (pass interference and personal fouls). Those are problems that will hurt Auburn in SEC play so they need to be phased out of the game starting with Alabama State.
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