After a late season Bye Week, Auburn hosted the feisty Mercer Bears for an afternoon showdown in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Mercer entered the game with a 9-1 record with the FCS playoffs in their future, while Auburn boasted a 4-6 record and fighting for the possibility of qualifying for a bowl game.
Saturday marked a lot of firsts, as it was the first home game for interim Auburn head coach DJ Durkin, and also the first start for true freshman quarterback Deuce Knight.
After a scary first quarter and a half for Auburn fans, the Tigers pulled away startign late in the first half, and continued that dominance en route to a 62-17 victory.
Auburn wins the football game- so we’ll start with the good…
1. Deuce Knight’s Legs:
True Freshman quarterback, making his first start at home against the Mercer Bears. Queue the “it’s Mercer” “it’s an FCS team” takes.
Knight took the first snap of the game and promptly outran the Mercer defense for a 75 yard touchdown. 7-0 Auburn early.
Knight followed that up with 3 more scores on the ground with his legs. He mixed in a couple of passing touchdowns as well but this segment is set to focus on his rushing ability, which he showcased miraculously with 4 total rushing touchdowns for 162 yards on 9 carries.
Knight got more comfortable as the game continued, showing off not only his speed and pure athleticism in the open field, but also his strength on a couple of designed QB runs near the goal line, breaking tackles en route to paydirt.
Good to see Knight showcase his raw ability, albeit versus an inferior opponent.
2. Second half defence:
Auburn came out in the second half with the type of intensity and relemntlessness that fans hoped to see from the opening whistle.
After allowing 17 points in the first half, the Auburn defense allowed a total of zero points in the second half. Completely stymyign the Mercer attack, which was potent in the first half.
The Auburn defense improved on their paltry thrid down defense in the second half, and allowed some of their younger players to get some quality snaps. Good to see heading into Iron Bowl week.
3. Turnovers:
The Auburn defense ended up forcing a total of 3 turnovers in this one, coming up with 2 interceptions, and falling on a fumble after a strip sack.
Caleb Harris started the turnover party late in the first half, intercepting an overthrown pass thrown by Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson which led to an Auburn touchdown.
Auburn freshman linebacker Elijah Melendez put his stamp on this one as well, as he got his hands on a tipped pass in the third quarter and returned it 41 yards for the score.
Auburn defensive lineman Jay Hardy decided to get into the turnover mix as well early in the fourth quarter, falling on a Chris Murray strip sack for the fumble recovery.
It was good to see the Auburn defense be opportunistic in this one, making Mercer pay for some inadvertent plays when their execution wasn’t locked in. Auburn turned all their turnovers into touchdowns, helping pull away on the scoreboard en route to the 62 total points scored.
And now for the bad…
1. Third down defense:
Seemingly a stalwart and common theme in the “bad” category this season has been the third down defense for Auburn. A couple of games with quslity exution on the defensive side of the ball on third downs had us fans fooled that their woes had been cured, however their poor third down execution reared its ugly head again in this one.
Mercer converted 8 of their 19 third down attempts, which doesn’t seem like a dominant attack, however specificalyl in the first half it really felt like Auburn could not get off the field on third down. Mercer scored their second touchdown with a red zone strike on third down to pull ahead 14-7.
The lack of focus and execution on third downs is maddening. It extends drives, keeps tired players on the field, and keeps your “now” explosive offense off the field.
2. Rushing attack:
Auburn flat out couldn’t run the ball in this one. I know the rushing stats look gaudy, but that is masked by QB scrambles and Deuce Knight outrunning an overmatched Mercer defense.
Disregard the 277 total yards on the ground, on true handoffs, Auburn only managed 67 yards on the ground. Both Jeremiah Cobb and Justin Jones toted the rock for the Tigers on Saturday and neither had a banner day.
Jones edged out Cobb on the stat sheet with a total of 35 yards on only 6 carries, while Cobb doubled up on those carries but only managed only 32 yards.
It was unfortunate to see such a paltry rushing performance versus an overmatched Mercer team. Be it an offensive line that could not find any push, or backs that couldn’t hit rushing lanes, or all the above, Auburn’s rushing attack was highly concerning.
3. First half defense:
I know I lauded the Auburn defense for their opportunistic turnovers and stingy nature in teh second half, but the first half on defense was far from consistent.
Mercer racked up a total of 17 points in the first half, and were actually winning 14-7 late in the first quarter. Both the Mercer passing attack and rushing attack were on point early, and they put together some highly efficient drives, travelling 75 yards in 8 plays for their first score, and then turning around and gaining 70 yards in 13 total plays for their second score.
Mercer’s freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson certainly looks likke a baller, as he had several passes that were well thrown balls but dropped by his receivers. Given the drops, he still completed 20 passes for 211 yards through the air. Decent performance by the freshman on the road versus a tough SEC defense.
This season has flown by. As always, the mainly decided to take a week off before rivalry week, with most of their teams playing FCS opponents on the second last weekend of the regular season.
Auburn took care of business at home against a frisky FCS opponent in the Mercer Bears, as they have their sights set on a SEC payoff berth.
Freshman quarterback Deuce Knight gave fans lots to cheer about, as he ran for 4 touchdowns and looked more comfortable through the air as the game progressed. Good to see. He did what he needed to do.
That’s it. On to the Iron Bowl. What’s at stake? Among other things, bowl eligibility for Auburn, and a berth in the College Football Playoff for Alabama. Interim Head Coach DJ Durkin will be roaming the sidelines for the Tigers on Saturday under the lights in Jordan-Hare, as Auburn looks to win their first Iron Bowl since 2019, as Alabama has won five straight in this heated rivalry.
Bring on the Tide. Iron Bowl at night in Jordan-Hare. What more could you hope for. Strap up and get ready. Throw the records and stats out the window, it’ll be a chilly, physical, late November battle.
As always… War Eagle!!!
