Five reasons Auburn could struggle against the Samford Bulldogs

Auburn started the season 2-0 after wins over UMass and Cal, meaning the Tigers have one more tune-up game before SEC play begins.

This tune-up game happens to be against in-state foe Samford, as the Bulldogs will make the trip to the Plains for this ball game.

If all goes right, Auburn should win this game big, but what are some things that could lead to struggles for the Tigers?

Let's take a look at five reasons Auburn could struggle against the Samford Bulldogs.

The QB situation is still a question mark

Auburn's quarterback situation has been interesting, to say the least, as Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford have been mixing in and out. This isn't great for either quarterback because they can't get in a rhythm when they keep coming in and out of the game. Many Auburn fans want to see Thorne get the majority of the snaps in hopes that he can start putting up some big numbers. If they keep going back and forth with the QBs, this offense could struggle.

Samford has a good QB

Samford's quarterback, Michael Hiers, has had a big season thus far, throwing for 690 yards and ten touchdowns. He has also yet to throw a pick and completed 71.0% of his passes two games into the season. If you give him time, Hiers will pick you apart. The defense needs to play well, or Samford might be able to score some points.

Auburn needs to run the ball well

Auburn did not run the ball all that well against Cal, averaging only 3.6 yards a carry. Philip Montgomery and Hugh Freeze want to run the rock and run it a lot, so this running game needs to be more efficient against Samford. If the Tigers don't run the ball well on Saturday, there will be a lot of concerns for this offense going forward. Now that Jarquez Hunter has had a game to get the rust off, I expect him to have a good rest of the season.

Receivers need to get open

Heading into the season, the wide receiver room was one of the biggest question marks regarding this Auburn football team. Jay Fair has been the one player to step up, and you could argue Shane Hooks has looked good at times. These wideouts need to run open all game on Saturday, and if they don't, Auburn fans definitely have something to be concerned about. I'm hoping to see a big game through the air under the lights in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

No pass rush

Auburn has to get a pass rush on Samford's quarterback, Hiers, or he will pick the secondary apart. One issue for Samford is that Hiers has already been sacked a ton this season. We need to see Auburn get at least five sacks in this ball game to prove this pass rush won't be an issue this season. If Auburn doesn't get any pressure, Hiers will have a big day.

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