Five reasons Auburn could struggle against the Cal Golden Bears

These things could cause trouble for Auburn against Cal.

Auburn has a pivotal game coming up as they head to Berkeley to take on the California Golden Bears. 

This will not be an easy game for the Tigers as they are set to face off with their first power five opponent. 

Let's take a look at five reasons Auburn could struggle against Cal. 

Receivers struggle against power five secondary

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

The Auburn receivers were a big question mark heading into the season but looked fine against UMass. Although Cal's defense isn't all that good, they are still going against much better athletes in the secondary. These receivers need to get open for Payton Thorne if the Tigers want to leave with a win. If they don't, Auburn will struggle against the Golden Bears. 

If Jarquez Hunter can't play

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

If Jarquez Hunter isn't able to play for the Tigers, this would be a big deal. Hunter brings the veteran leadership to the running back room and knows how to take care of the football in a big game. Aside from Brian Battie, the rest of the Auburn running back room is very young. If Hunter does not play in this ball game, leaving California with a win gets a lot more difficult. 

Travel affects the Tigers

Eric Starling, Auburn Daily

It's no secret that traveling across the country to play a football game puts you at a disadvantage. Coach Freeze talked about this but made it clear it's not an excuse for his team, and they will be ready to play. With this game kicking off at 9:30 CT, the Auburn players will be playing well past midnight their time, which isn't a good thing. The team surely has a plan to get their sleep schedule in a way that they are not affected by the time change. 

Have to stop the run

Trey Lee/Auburn Daily

This game is going to come down to one thing, can the Auburn front seven stop the Cal rushing attack? Auburn stopping the run will be a topic all season long until they prove they can consistently do it, and the Tigers have yet to do that. Cal ran for 347 yards against North Texas in their season opener. If Auburn lets them put up numbers anywhere close to this, it's going to be a really tough game to win. 

Payton Thorne doesn't show up

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

In big games, you need your big-time players to show up, and for Auburn, that is quarterback Payton Thorne. He needs to have a big game if the Tigers want to win this ball game. Many predict this game to be a shootout, which means the Auburn offense needs to put up points. If Thorne shows up, Auburn wins this football game; if he doesn't, the Tigers could lose on the West Coast. 

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