Auburn’s Three Keys to Beat Southern Miss in Week 2 Matchup

Despite the win, the Auburn Tigers did not exactly put on a confidence-inspiring performance against Baylor, but this week, they have the opportunity to change a lot of public perception in their Week 2 matchup with Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles are certainly not the most difficult opponent the Tigers will play this season, but the Tigers cannot afford to take this one as a guaranteed win, especially after such a weak Week 1 performance.

So, what do the Tigers need to do to set the tone for the rest of their season on Saturday? Here are, in my opinion, the Tigers’ three keys to get back in the driver's seat of their season.

Establish a Strong Rushing Attack

For all of Alex Golesh’s comments about how much the Tigers were going to rush the ball this season, the Tigers’ rushing attack appeared quite flat against Baylor. Jeremiah Cobb led all Tigers with 53 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, which isn’t necessarily bad, but certainly not the production that the Tigers were looking for.

The Tigers’ offensive line struggled against Baylor, leading to that lack of production, but against Southern Miss, there is simply no excuse not to rush the ball effectively. A good game in this regard, in my opinion, would see Cobb rush for over 100 and at least one touchdown, while Omar Mabson, Bryson Washington and potentially Nykahi Davenport (depending on the score) all get some quality touches as well.

Hold The Line

Despite winning 49-3, the Golden Eagles had virtually no air offense to speak of in their Week 1 matchup with Alcorn State. Starting quarterback Ethan Hampton passed for just 180 yards and a lone touchdown, an otherwise acceptable stat line that was tainted by an interception.

Southern Miss’ strength lies in their rushing attack, as five of their touchdowns in that game came from just two of their running backs, Steven Robinson and Jamarice Wilder, who also combined for over 200 rushing yards.

The Tigers were quite strong last year when it came to stopping the run, and they showed flashes of that against Baylor, limiting the Bears to just 103 rushing yards. As one-dimensional as the Golden Eagles’ offense appears to be, if Auburn can hold the line and limit rushing threats, the defense should not have a difficult time keeping Hampton in check.

Throw Smart Passes

Byrum Brown threw a highly uncharacteristic three interceptions last week against Baylor, while Southern Miss’ Kobi Albert caught three interceptions against Alcorn State, and it doesn’t take a top-level analyst to explain why that matchup could be scary for the Tigers on Saturday.

With that said, though, only one other player on the Golden Eagles recorded a pass deflection or breakup in that matchup, so there will be soft spots in coverage for Brown to find throughout the game. The key to the Tigers’ passing attack will be to avoid being too aggressive against this defense, even though it is weaker than Baylor’s defense, as Albert will be lurking and looking to pick up interception No. 4 of the season.

The Auburn Tigers, looking for win No. 2, are scheduled to take on the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles this Saturday at 6:40 p.m. CT, in a game that will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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