Auburn’s matchup with Mercer on Saturday seems like an opportunity for an easy win before the Iron Bowl, but the 9-1 Bears could present a challenge.
The Tigers are expected to win for a reason, but Mercer, despite being an FCS program, arguably presents a tougher task than Auburn’s other buy game opponents this season, South Alabama and Ball State.
Mercer has last just one game all season and will undoubtedly look to score a program-defining win on Saturday. With freshman quarterback Deuce Knight getting the start, Auburn will look to avoid that and can’t afford to overlook Mercer.
Here are three keys to victory for the Tigers.
Protect Deuce Knight
Knight is a talented young quarterback. He wouldn’t be in a position to start on Saturday if he wasn’t. However, you still want to give a freshman making his first start as much help as possible.
That starts by giving him time to throw. Given Auburn’s athleticism and depth advantages over Mercer, this should be expected, but it’s still important. Having to deal with pressure has negatively affected other Auburn quarterbacks this season.
If the Tigers want to get the best out of Knight and really see what he can do, he’ll need to feel comfortable when making throws. Against an FCS defense, that shouldn’t be asking too much.
Avoid big plays
Mercer’s passing offense is the team’s biggest strength and a major reason why it enters this game 9-1. Freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson leads the FCS in passing yards and has thrown for 300 or more yards in six straight games.
Auburn’s pass defense has been vulnerable this season, particularly over the middle. This season, the Tigers rank 92nd in the country is passing plays of 20 or more yards allowed.
Giving up a handful of those on Saturday is a perfect recipe for Mercer to stay in the game. Not having busts in coverage and making tackles in space will be important against Mercer. If Auburn does those things, it should put itself in position to win comfortably.
Strike early
We bring up this point every time Auburn plays an FCS or Group of Six opponent, and it still stands. The best way to prevent an upset and keep an overmatched team from hanging around is by destroying hope early.
When you’re a team who lacks depth and can’t match up talent-wise with your opponent, it’s hard to play from behind. That’s the position Mercer is in on Saturday, and a couple quick scores from Auburn could put the Bears at arm’s length early on.
A 17-0 or 21-3 lead at the end of the first quarter could all but put the game away. It would also eliminate any questions about what the team and staff is focused on in the midst of an ongoing coaching search and the biggest game of the season coming up next.
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