Jacksonville State Gamecocks vs. No. 6 Auburn Tigers
Jacksonville State heads into Saturday afternoon’s matchup with the Auburn Tigers as a heavy underdog. The Tigers are coming off a neutral site victory over a tough Louisville squad while the Gamecocks are also 1-0 following a win over fellow FCS opponent Chattanooga.
While many believe this will be a blowout, there are such things as trap games and that’s exactly what Auburn is facing in this one. The Tigers face LSU next week and it could be argued that they are overlooking the Gamecocks. Let’s be honest, though, this should be a simple victory.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Sept. 12
Start Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Auburn, AL
Stadium: Jordan-Hare Stadium
TV Info: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN app
Radio: For the Jacksonville State radio affiliate, click here. For the Auburn radio affiliate, click here.
Ticket Information: For Jacksonville ticket info, click here. For Auburn ticket info, click here.
Keys to Victory
For Auburn, having the ball in Jeremy Johnson’s hands is enough of an upper hand. However, the first-year starting quarterback struggled in his first start, passing for just 137 yards and throwing three interceptions while completing just a fraction over 50 percent of his passes.
If the Tigers want to end up winning this one as largely as they should, Johnson will need to be much more accurate and spread the ball more. They can’t rely on sophomore running back Peyton Barber to carry the offense again.
Jacksonville State has nothing to lose in this one. Traveling to play an SEC foe, as most teams do in non-conference play nowadays, comes with a lot of expectations. For FCS opponents, just staying healthy enough to finish the season is one of the hopes.
Get the ball in Troymaine Pope’s hands as much as possible seeing as the Tigers struggled in week one to stop the run, allowing over 230 yards on the ground. Pope finished week one with 180 yards and averaged 11.5 yards per carry in a win. Run the ball as much as possible.
Prediction
Honestly, this one won’t be that close. The Tigers are just too strong and are playing with too much on the line week in and week out. As the No. 6 team in he nation, one loss could mean the end of a College Football Playoff run.
Expect Johnson to rebound from a tough week one performance against the Cardinals and throw four touchdown passes with over 300 yards in this one. Jacksonville State will want to warm up the busses after halftime.
Final Score: Jacksonville State 10, Auburn 49
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