Five takeaways from Auburn football's 42-16 win over Mercer

The quarterback play was interesting in this one.

Lance Dawe | Sep 3, 2022

Five takeaways from Auburn football's 42-16 win over Mercer /

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After an hour and a half of rain delay, the Tigers finished off Mercer for a 42-16 victory in the season opener.

Auburn (1-0) did not stumble outside of a pair of turnovers, finishing with over 500 yards of total offense while holding the Bears to 264.

Here are five takeaways from the win.

Auburn's defensive line is legitimate

Auburn Tigers linebacker Wesley Steiner (32) closes in on Mercer Bears running back Fred Jackson (12) during the game between the Mercer Bears and the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 3, 2022. — Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

The Tigers held Mercer to just 2.4 yards per carry. The Bears ran for 9.4 yards a pop last weekend against Morehead State.

Eku Leota and Derick Hall may form the second- or third-best EDGE duo in the SEC, While the stats may not reflect it, they were consistently getting into the backfield.

Having a unit that is both solid at getting after the quarterback while keeping the rushing attack at bay will prove to be extremely valuable as the season goes on.

The ground game was the focal point... and may have to be moving forward

Auburn Tigers running back Tank Bigsby (4) looks for a hole during the game between the Mercer Bears and the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 3, 2022. — Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

While the weather delay ballooned Auburn's rushing total, the Tigers focused on controlling the line of scrimmage and getting running back Tank Bigsby his touches. Bigsby finished with 147 yards on 16 carries to go along with two touchdowns, while backup running back Jarquez Hunter racked up three touchdowns on just 7 carries.

Quarterback Robby Ashford also made his mark on the ground, finishing with 68 yards on 6 carries (11.3 yards per carry).

With how rough the passing game was, Auburn may elect to run the ball a lot this season.

Auburn's offensive play calling was sound

Auburn Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin closes out the first Tiger Walk of the season prior to the game between the Mercer Bears and the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 3, 2022. — Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Eric Kiesau did a solid job of timing shots, while also keeping focus on the ground. TJ Finley started off well, but couldn't execute down the stretch.

Better accuracy and decision making would have likely highlighted Kiesau's calls. The offense was creative, fun, and efficient.

The pacing was slower than anticipated

Auburn Tigers quarterback T.J. Finley (1) takes his first snap as QB1 this season, during the game between the Mercer Bears and the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 3, 2022. — Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

I had this note written long before the lightning delay.

Auburn took their time on offense and did not rush anything, which surprised me. I didn't expect the Tigers to go light-speed, nor did I think they would elect to play particularly fast, but the pacing was very slow.

I'm curious if that will be the strategy moving forward.

Auburn's quarterback situation is intriguing

Auburn Tigers quarterback Robby Ashford (9) throws the ball during warm ups before Auburn Tigers take on Mercer Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. — © Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

TJ Finley completed 9 of his 14 pass attempts for 112 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Both interceptions very awful throws towards open receivers. After throwing his second interception, he was pulled from the game in favor of Ashford, who controlled the offense for the rest of the game.

Ashford completed 4 of his 7 passes for 100 yards. While his explosive play ability may be higher than Finley's, he has proven to be an erratic passer.

How Auburn manages the room moving forward will be... interesting, to say the least. Bryan Harsin has proved he can make two quarterback systems work in the past. Can he do it again this season, or will the tide shift in another QBs favor because of ineptitude?

Auburn fans wake up excited for game day

Auburn Daily Roundtable: Week One

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Published Sep 3, 2022

LANCE DAWE

College football enthusiast. Wing connoisseur. Editor and contributor for @TheAuburnDaily. Host of @LockedonUK.