Week 2 of the college football season is here and the Auburn Tigers have a rematch with California. This game is one that caused concern for Auburn football fans, as the Tigers only scored 14 points in a win against the Cal Golden Bears last year. On top of that, the offense looked stale.
Auburn may have fixed those concerns with the offensive show they put on against Alabama A&M last week. On top of that, Cal running back Jaydn Ott has given the Auburn Tigers some bulletin board material with comments he made last year.
Key Players for Auburn
After Week 1, the Auburn Tiger players that will be key for this week’s football game against California are Payton Thorne, the wide receiver group, Jalen McLeod, and Dorian Mausi.
Thorne showed that he has the ability to pick apart a defense. However, considering that it was Alabama A&M, more still needs to be seen. After all, Thorne should have been able to do what he did. Yet in Week 2 he faces a California team that held him to 94 yards passing (two touchdowns, one interception) last year.
Another key group for this Auburn Tigers football team in this matchup are the wide receivers. Last year, Auburn’s wide receivers combined for seven touchdowns for the entire season.
Auburn's wide receivers tonight have combined for six touchdowns.
Auburn's wide receivers combined for seven touchdowns throughout the entire 2023 season.
— Henry Patton (@Henry_Patton23) September 1, 2024
Against Alabama A&M, the Tigers’ wide receivers combined for six touchdowns in one game. They have to continue their level of play against a step up in competition for Thorne to continue to build on his performance and the rest of their season.
McLeod is another key player for this Auburn team. McLeod led the team with five tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. He has to continue this dominance against California, especially to help stop Cal’s running back.
If McLeod can continue to generate pressure and help stop Ott, the California offense will be hard-pressed to find another way to beat Auburn.
Meanwhile, the last key player for Auburn is Mausi. Mausi had three tackles and two tackles for loss against Alabama A&M. As the linebacker next to Eugene Asante, Mausi will need to continue to perform at a high level.
Key Players for Cal
Jaydn Ott. Jaydn Ott. Jaydn Ott. That is who California’s offense runs through, both literally and figuratively.
In last year’s matchup, Ott had 14 carries for 49 yards rushing and two touchdowns to go along with four receptions and 34 yards receiving before leaving the game in the third quarter.
Against UC Davis, the Golden Bears only put up 179 yards passing and one touchdown through the air. Ott is listed as probable to return from his injury, but if his production is limited at all California will have to find someone fast to fill his shoes.
Auburn Tigers – Keys to the Game
The keys to the Auburn Tigers winning this football game are simple. Thorne has to put up solid numbers and show off all of his shiny new weapons on offense.
The Auburn running backs need to match their production from last year’s game where they ran for over 130 yards. And defensively, they must stop Cal’s running back. If they are able to do that, California will have to find answers to a questions that they may not have the answer for, and lack the talent to do so on the fly.
Recruiting Roundup
Against Alabama A&M, Auburn had multiple high priority recruits show up for the game. That included quarterback Deuce Knight who is currently committed to Notre Dame. The entire list included of prospects in attendance were as follows.
2025 Recruiting Class
5 ⭐ QB Deuce Knight (ND Commit)
5 ⭐ CB Na’eem Offord (Ohio State commit)
4 ⭐ LB Elijah Melindez (Miami commit) who decommitted from Miami before visiting.
4 ⭐ RB Ousmane Kromah
3 ⭐ S Rasean Dinkins (GT commit)
3 ⭐ WR Eric Smith
3 ⭐ Edge Zion Lawson
2026 Recruiting Class
4 ⭐ TE Mack Sutter
4 ⭐ TE JC Anderson
4 ⭐ WR Marquez Daniel
3 ⭐ RB Deshawn Spencer
2027 Recruiting Class
QB Bobby Coleman
Deuce Knight, Elijah Melindez, Ousmane Kromah have all been predicted to commit to Auburn by On3.
