Auburn Daily

Why Auburn Cannot Afford to Sleep on Mercer's Offense

Many consider Auburn's game against Mercer to be a cupcake win, but there are plenty players the Tigers must key on.
Brooks Crew|
Mercer running back CJ Miller has accounted for over 1,000 yards offensively this year.
Mercer running back CJ Miller has accounted for over 1,000 yards offensively this year. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Auburn Tigers

Though many Auburn Tigers fans have already written off the Mercer matchup as a win and are looking ahead to the Iron Bowl, the Bears are nothing to scoff at.

Mercer is 9-1 on the season, and though they’ve yet to take on an FBS team this year, their team has operated at a high level in all of their matchups this season.

Here’s a look at a few Bears that could turn Saturday into a trap game for D.J. Durkin and company.

Braden Atkinson - Quarterback

Every good offense hinges on the player taking snaps, and Mercer’s offense has been stellar. The Bears average over 41 points per game, which has propelled the team to the top of the Southern Conference. 

Braden Atkinson has been at the helm this season for the Bears, and he’s put up some impressive numbers. A true pocket passer, Atkinson has completed just under 69 percent of his passes for 3,253 yards and 33 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for a touchdown, though he has just 14 rushing yards on the season.

Atkinson has been a particularly “streaky” quarterback this year, meaning that when he’s able to get into a rhythm, he’s very difficult to stop. The Tigers’ powerful pass rush will need to keep Atkinson on his toes if the Tigers want to limit the Bears’ production.

CJ Miller - Running Back

A big contributor to the Bears’ success this season has been their balanced attack, and CJ Miller spearheads the rushing front. He’s rushed 136 times for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns throughout the season and has caught 23 passes for 284 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The Tigers are no strangers to strong rushers, as they’ve faced down the likes of Ahmad Hardy, the SEC’s leading rusher, and had impressive success in shutting down the run. 

Auburn’s faced SEC opponents with similarly balanced attacks, including Georgia, Oklahoma and Missouri. Despite offensive struggles, the Tigers’ defense was ultimately successful in slowing these attacks, limiting Georgia to 20, Oklahoma to 24 and Missouri to 23. 

If the Tigers can continue to identify play-action well while still getting home on rushing attempts, Miller and the Bears will have a difficult time getting down the field. 

Dabbs, McDaniel, and Smith - Wide Receivers

Like the rest of Mercer’s offense, the wide receiver room is impressively balanced, with three receivers combining for 20 of Atkinson’s 33 passing touchdowns. 

Brayden Smith is tied with Adjatay Dabbs for the lead in receiving touchdowns with seven and outright leads the team in receptions with 53. Adonis McDaniel follows closely behind in touchdowns and receptions with six and 45, respectively. 

Dabbs’ production is likely the best of the Bears, though, as despite the lowest number of receptions among the Bears’ top three receivers, he leads the team in receiving yards with 782 and is tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns.

The Tigers’ secondary may be pushed to its limits in containing all three of these receivers, as they’ve combined for over 2,000 yards on the season.

The Bears will travel to Jordan-Hare this Saturday to take on the Auburn Tigers. Kickoff on the Plains will take place at 1 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Brooks Crew
BROOKS CREW

Brooks is an Atlanta-born sports journalism major. His work has been featured on Eagle Eye TV, Fly War Eagle, Sporting News, Bleacher Report, MSN, among others. Additionally, Brooks anchors Eagle Eye TV’s “Sports Night in Auburn,” a live broadcast shared on Channel Six and YouTube Live.

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