Auburn Daily Roundtable: Football is back

Just like college football, the Auburn Daily Roundtable is back.

After a long offseason hiatus, we are back with the weekly roundtable!

Week one of college football is upon us, and the Auburn Tigers are focused on going 1-0 versus the Mercer Bears. The staff at Auburn Daily is ready to break down and analyze everything Auburn football-related, and that starts this week against Mercer.

What has been the biggest offseason story for the Auburn Tigers this year?

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

ZAC BLACKERBY - It has to be the quarterback battle. I know the Bryan Harsin drama from February was huge and had the potential to alter the program but I want to make it about the kids competing. TJ FInley winning the QB1 battle was a big story.

LINDSAY CROSBY - The quarterback battle - we've been wondering who would be the starter, and the common assumption was Zach Calzada would easily win the job. Well, TJ Finley was announced as the starter on Sunday, and reportedly Calzada is a distant third behind Finley and Oregon transfer Robby Ashford. Finley has, according to Bryan Harsin, improved his understanding of the offense, but he reportedly also threw more interceptions in practice than the other options. Ashford has had great comments about his performance, but they’re not actually about being a quarterback – it’s a lot of talk about how athletic, how hard he is to defend with the ball in his hands, etc.

LANCE DAWE - It has to be Harsin surviving the mess back in the spring and rallying the troops here over the last couple of months. The speculation over whether or not he will make it past this season has definitely been the biggest story.

ANDREW STEFANIAK - The quarterback battle was a ton of fun this offseason. It was interesting that TJ Finley was able to beat out Zach Calzada and Robby Ashford even thought the odds were against him.

GRAY OLDENBURG - The easiet answer to this question is no doubt the quarterbacks which is probably true, but Im going to stand by my case of the coaching fake scandal and the expectations put on Coach Harsin and his staff for this season is probably more important. Especially with the departure of Athletic Director Allen Greene and the slow and underwhelming finish to last years season, the road ahead and the expectations just get tougher and tough for Bryan Harsin and this years team.

TREY LEE - The biggest offseason story for Auburn has been whether Bryan Harsin has done enough to prepare to keep his job after the 2022 season. The attempted February coup of his position makes this season make or break for Coach Harsin. If he's able to lead the Tigers to a 5-0 start to the season, the hot seat may cool a tad bit. Then again, it was the complete meltdown during the back half of the season last year that got us into this mess to begin with.

COOPER POSEY - Bryan Harsin made changes going into the offseason after coming off a 6-7 season, winning only 3 conference games, and finishing 6th in the SEC West. Harsin moved on from Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo after one season with the Tigers and made a big hire in Austin Davis. Shockingly, Austin Davis resigned as Auburns Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach after only 43 days (about 1 and a half months) after being hired. All eyes will now be on Auburn's 3rd Offensive Coordinator in the last year, Eric Kiesau. Kiesau is a long-time assistant of Bryan Harsin previously coaching under him for 4 seasons at Boise State.

How many quarterbacks will play for Auburn against Mercer?

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

ZB - Three. Finley starts, Robby Ashford gets several drives. Zach Calzada plays in garbage time.

LC - 2

LD - Three. Finley and Ashford will see time before the end of the third quarter, and Calzada will come in during the fourth to close things out.

AS - Two. Robby Ashford will come in to play when Auburn is up by a lot in the second half.

GO - With the announcement of TJ Finley as the starting QB, just six days before kickoff, This makes me believe even more that there was a good competition between at least Ashford and Finley, so I'm going with two QB's play but Finley obviously getting 80% or more of the snaps.

TL - I believe we will see at least three quarterbacks against Mercer. Finley will start, Ashford will come in once the score gets away from the Bears, and Calzada will play mop up duty in the 4th. I think there is a chance Holden Geriner sees the field, but only to hand the ball off to the running backs.

CP - You should expect to see a mixture of Finley, Ashford, and Calzada in week 1 against Mercer. TJ Finley was named the starter this past Sunday. After going 0-3 as a starter last season, Bryan Harsin has had good things to say about Finley throughout fall camp. I would not be surprised if Robby Ashford were thrown in the mix throughout the game. Ashford has yet to play a college football game, this may be a good chance to get him some game experience. Calzada could also find himself taking snaps late in the game depending on the score.

What player will have a breakout game against Mercer?

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

ZB - Tar'varish Dawson. All offseason we talked about Camden Brown, Koy Moore, and Shedrick Jackson. I think Dawson makes a statement.

LC - Tar'Varish Dawson – He’s lightning fast and has the athletic ability to make plays down the field for Auburn. With TJ Finley having a cannon and one of his supposed strengths being downfield accuracy, look for Dawson to take the top off the defense and connect on at least one deep ball against a defense that struggled last season to defend the passing game and, more than likely, doesn’t have an athlete of the caliber of Dawson.

LD - Cam Riley. It's his time to shine.

AS - Tar'Varish Dawson will go for 100 or more yards in this ball game. It will be the start of something special.

GO - I think we will end up running the ball a lot against Mercer, with that said, my breakout player is Malcohm Johnson Jr. Johnson was listed as a starter at Z when the depth chart came out on Sunday. He was noted in having a great spring and being one of the most threatening WR's in fall camp and I can't wait to see what he can do even more this season.

TL - Jayson Jones. Everyone loves to talk about the ferocious tandem of Derick Hall, Colby Wooden, and Eku Leota (rightfully so). I think Jayson Jones is going to have a monster day against the Mercer offense and prove why he belongs on one of the top defensive lines in the country.

CP - With Kobe Hudson transferring out after the 2021 season I expect veteran receiver Shedrick Jackson to step up and have not only a wonderful week against Mercer but to also have a great season. Veteran Wide Receiver Shedrick Jackson had 40 receptions for 527 yards in the 2021 season. Jackson had big weeks last season with 5 catches for 61 yards against Arkansas, 3 catches for 72 yards against Mississippi State, and 7 catches for 111 at South Carolina. With the dynamic in the Wide Receiver room this season he will have a breakout game in week 1 and a great season.

What will be the hot topic coming out of this week’s game against Mercer?

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

ZB - It will be the quarterback battle. Still. I don't think that conversation is going away.

LC - How both quarterbacks that play looked decent, but had questionable moments – I don’t think we’re ultimately be satisfied that either quarterback deserves to be the guy based off of the small sample we get from an overmatched opponent.

LD - I think it will continue to be about whether or not Auburn is truly ready to face Penn State in week three, regardless of how the Tigers handle business before then.

AS - The defense is going to have a great game and the National Media is going to talk about the Auburn defense all week.

GO - Due to the lack of experience and combination of young age on the Mercer offensive line plus the dominance probability of Auburn's defensive line, The hottest topic will most definitely be how dominant Auburn's pass rush was. I think both Derick Hall and Eku Leota combined will have a total of 4-5 sacks and those aren't including the sacks made by other defensive linemen or linebackers. I also think Colby Wooden has a chance to have an All-SEC type of season that will definitely start with a big game against mercer.

TL - Last year, it was evident after the first game against Akron that Bo Nix had improved under the new offense. If TJ Finley shows similar improvement, I think people will start turning their opinions on this Auburn team.

CP - The talk coming out of the plains going into week 2 will be Quarterback play. The uncertainty of the structure of the depth chart at Quarterback going into week 1 will produce a lot of talk going into week 2. The Mercer game will give us a better idea of who the best man for the job is and who the coaching staff favors. This should produce a lot of talk in the Auburn community and give the fan base a better idea of what the 2022 season has in store for us.

What will be the biggest upset during Week 1 of college football?

© Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

ZB - I think Ole Miss wins the game but I think Troy makes it really interesting.

LC - Troy over Ole Miss – I know Ole Miss has a ton of talent, but they’re also breaking in a new quarterback and I’m not convinced that Troy will be the pushover they’re likely expecting the Trojans to be.

LD - I would say Purdue over Penn State on Thursday night, but Purdue isn't a big enough underdog. Give me Georgia State (+12.5) over South Carolina.

AS - Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks will beat Georgia. Nix is focused and having a ton of fun.

GO - Florida upset Utah In Gainesville. Right now Utah is currently ranked number 7 in the country and the current favorite to win the PAC 12, however, they have to come play Florida in the swamp on week 1. The Utes sit as a 3-point favorite against the Gators in Billy Napier's first game as head coach even though Florida has a 52% chance to upset Utah on Saturday according to ESPN FPI. Gimme the Gators

TL - Keep your eyes on the UNC/App State and Houston/UTSA games. North Carolina took a while to take care of business last week against Florida A&M, and App State has some firepower and will not hesitate to take advantage of sloppy mistakes. Houston is coming into this season with a lot of hype, and UTSA is a sneaky team in Conference USA. If the Cougars get off to a slow start, the Roadrunners may run away with this one.

CP - My prediction for week 1 biggest upset is not going to be the popular pick and a lot of people may disagree with me. Although Georgia is the favorite over Oregon and the defending National Champions, I'm going bold in my prediction with Oregon over Georgia in Atlanta. Although we won't know who Oregon's starting qb week 1 will be until game time, I think Georgia is going to have a tough time stopping Dan Lanning and his Oregon Ducks.

What is your final predictions and score for the Mercer game?

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

ZB - Auburn 53, Mercer 17

LC - 41-13, Auburn.

A long touchdown through the air, a decent running game with a few touchdowns, and nothing special from either quarterback. Defensively, I expect Auburn to dominate but Mercer will find a way to punch one in the endzone, whether it’s off of a turnover or a broken coverage.  

LD - Auburn controls it all the way through and establishes the ground game much like they did early in the season last year.

Auburn 49, Mercer 13

AS - Auburn 42 Mercer 3

GO - Auburn's defense shows it can be one of the best in the SEC. Tigers win 34-9!

TL - Mercer did score 63 in their Week 0 win, but it won't matter this week. Auburn will get off to a hot start and never look back.

Auburn 45 Mercer 14

CP - Auburn has never lost to Mercer in school history, I expect the trend to continue through this year. Auburn has averaged 44.17 points against mercer since 1896, largest win margin was 92-0 on October 14th, 1916, and the smallest win margin was 24-10 on September 16th, 2017.

Final score prediction 55-10 Auburn

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