Auburn's Top Key to Victory in Their Upcoming Duel with Mercer

A key part of their defense is going to have to been on their A-game if the Auburn Tigers want to get a win closer to a bowl game

Auburn's pass rush is going to need to be nails | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Tigers (4-6) are set to host the Mercer Bears (9-1) as they fight to keep bowl hopes alive. The Tigers cannot afford another loss if they want to see postseason action for the first time since 2021. 

While this is an FCS opponent, this game shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Mercer Bears have a high-powered offense, which averages 41.7 points per game. Leading the charge is Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson has passed for 3,253 yards and 33 touchdowns through the air. Not only does Atkinson pass the football well, but he also does not turn the ball over often, having only five interceptions on the year. 

The Mercer offense often runs a lot of misdirection, throwing quick routes to the flats off of play-action. The Bears' offense also runs a lot of counter-run plays. The lead back for Mercer is CJ Miller. Miller has 810 yards on the ground and 13 rushing touchdowns. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield, with 284 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. 

For the Auburn defense, being disciplined with their eyes is a must. The Bears will move the ball, but the Tiger defense has to make sure that they play their zones and assignments correctly. 

The Bears have a wide receiver room in which everyone gets involved. In all, the Bears have four wide receivers with 30 or more catches on the season, and three of those wide receivers have six or more receiving touchdowns. 

What is important for Auburn is to continue playing the run game as they have all season, by being dominant.  Auburn enters the game ranked 10th in FBS in rushing defense (91.9) and is on pace to allow fewer than 100 rushing yards per game in a season for the first time since 2003. Auburn is only allowing 89.9 rushing yards per game in Jordan-Hare Stadium this season. 

It is also important for the Auburn coverage unit to stick with the dangerous Mercer wide receiving core. The Mercer passing attack is where the Auburn defense must thrive if they are to come out on top in this matchup.

Kickoff in the matchup is set for 1 p.m. CST and will be televised on SEC Network+. This is Auburn’s final game before the Iron Bowl vs the Alabama Crimson Tide, where the Tigers hope to make a bowl game and play spoiler in Alabama’s playoff chances.