Auburn vs Alabama A&M is on the slate for Week 1 of the college football season. And we’re going to break down the matchup heading into an important game for both teams.
Auburn vs Alabama A&M History
Auburn leads Alabama A&M 2-0 all-time. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 51-7 in 2012 and 55-0 in the 2016 season. Both of the games were played at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Saturday’s game marks the first time second-year Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze has faced Alabama A&M in his 14-year head coaching career. There are a few players on Auburn that will make an impact all season long and seeing what they do in the opening game is very intriguing.
Key Players for Auburn
The most compelling players on the Tigers for the Auburn vs Alabama A&M matchup are Payton Thorne, Cam Coleman, and placekicker Towns McGough on offense. Let’s address the elephant in the room.
McGough, the placekicker, is compelling because starting kicker Alex McPherson is suffering from a severe stomach issue. McPherson will miss this matchup, pushing the freshman kicker into the limelight in his first collegiate game. McGough has to live up to the expectations of former historic Auburn kickers starting in his very first collegiate game ever.
Thorne, as outlined in our offensive preview, is the single most important player for Auburn this year – and it starts with this game. Thorne has to show that he is making throws consistently and reading the defense well.
Coleman, the team’s freshman wide receiver, should make that easier for Thorne. Coleman is the best wide receiver recruit in Auburn history thus far. He has the athleticism and size to consistently get open at all levels of the field and dominate.
Defensively the most captivating players are Dorian Mausi Jr., Amaris Williams, and Kayin Lee.
The Auburn depth chart was released ahead of the Auburn vs Alabama A&M matchup, and it has some interesting parts. The biggest piece of information on that depth chart is that Mausi was listed as the starting middle linebacker. As outlined in the defensive preview, Mausi put up solid numbers at Duke before transferring to Auburn. He has huge potential to fill in a huge need next to Eugene Asante.
The Auburn defensive line is young, and that youth is led by Williams. Williams needs to show in his debut that he can perform up to expectations against what is seen to be as lesser competition. He needs to show athleticism and a great ability to rush the passer.
Meanwhile, Lee is listed as the second starting cornerback opposite Keionte Scott. Lee is a sophomore who played in all 13 games in 2023 and started four games. He led the team in pass deflections last season, too. Imagining the production he can have as a full-time starter is extremely exciting – especially when the defensive backfield lost a lot of production.
Key Players for Alabama A&M
Alabama A&M went 5-6 in 2023 and is returning its starting running back and starting quarterback from last year. They are also returning their leading receiver from their 2023 team.
Running back Donovan Eaglin will be a threat to the Auburn defense as he led the team in rushing last year with 765 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Xavier Lankford split time at the quarterback position last year. Lankford had respectable numbers in those games he played in, with 777 passing yards and a 7:4 TD:INT ratio.
The primary receiver for the Bulldogs in 2023 was Jacolby Hewitt who is returning for his senior season. He will face a great challenge against the Tigers’ secondary
The two returning defenders for the Bulldogs that should be circled by coach Freeze and Auburn are defensive backs Marvin Smith and Kaleb Dawson.
Smith was second on the team in tackles in 2023 and any defensive back that can do that is a serious threat. Meanwhile, Dawson was second on the team in pass deflections and interceptions. This shows an ability to hawk the ball to an extent. This matchup should help the Tigers’ quarterback prove he has developed with his decision-making and eye discipline.
Auburn’s Blueprint for Victory
The keys for Auburn to win the game against Alabama A&M are simple. They must establish a dominant presence on the offensive line by running the ball with senior Jarquez Hunter and junior Damari Alston. This will allow Thorne to establish connections with his shiny new weapons at the wide receiver position and show Auburn fans he has grown this offseason.
Defensively, Auburn will need to look to shut down the running game of the Bulldogs. If the Tigers become a one-dimensional passing team, they will not survive. This will also allow the defensive line, specifically the pass rushers, to get valuable reps early. It allows them to pin their ears back and go after the quarterback.
The key matchups will be against Alabama A&M’s best two returning defenders vs. the Auburn wide receivers who are relatively inexperienced. Auburn should still win this game handily, but they will need to show these things for the optimism to continue.
