Five reasons Auburn could struggle vs Mercer in week one

Five outcomes that could lead to an Auburn week one loss to Mercer.

Auburn is set to take on the Mercer Bears of the Southern Conference in their first game of the 2022 season. 

This Auburn football has the talent to be elite, but the question is, will it all click together? 

Luckily the wait to find out how good this Tiger team could be is nearly over as we are less than two days away from Auburn's season opener. 

Mercer played a game a week ago and looked quite good, defeating Morehead State 63 to 13. The Bears had lots of players perform well in this blowout victory. 

Let's look at five ways Auburn could lose this football game. 

Ty James goes off again

© Gary Cosby via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Ty James is the Bear's best receiver, and boy, did he have a stellar game in week zero. James caught five passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Either Jaylin Simpson or Nehemiah Pritchett will draw the matchup with James. If these two Tiger corners are unable to shut down James, this could lead to a Bears win. James will be a great first test for the Auburn secondary as the team prepares for their date with Penn State.

Mercer grounds and pounds the football in Jordan-Hare

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

A week ago, in their week zero matchup Mercer was able to run the ball with ease. The team ran for a whopping 359 yards against Morehead State. Their two leading rushers were Austin Douglas, who ran the ball five times for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and Al Wooten, who ran it 13 times for 96 yards. This will be up to the linebackers and defensive linemen to stop the Mercer ground attack. If Mercer is able to run all over Auburn, the Tigers could lose.

Offensive line can't get any push

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

The offensive line is one of the positions of question on this Auburn football team. Especially now that Tate Johnson has taken over for Nick Brahms. Bryan Harsin wants the identity of this Auburn football team to play smash-mouth football and run it at a high level. The offensive line will have to get a push for this to be a reality. If the offensive line helps Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter eat, then Auburn should easily take care of business. If the offensive line can't get a push, then the Tigers will struggle to move the football and could drop game one.

Auburn can't get it going through the air

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

The Auburn passing game will come down to three position groups getting it done; the quarterback, pass catchers, and the offensive line. If these three groups are in sync, the Auburn passing attack should be able to put up a ton of points. If the Auburn passing attack can't get it going, it could be a long evening for the Tigers, and they very well could lose the game. According to the coaching staff, TJ Finley has taken a step forward in his mechanics and accuracy, so the hope is he will put some monster numbers against Mercer.

Wide receivers can't get open

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

In their week zero win over Morehead State, Mercer only allowed 161 yards through the air. Their defensive backs looked very solid in this victory. Auburn's wide receivers are another position of question on this roster since there is not much experience to go around. If the Tiger receivers can dominate the Bear defensive backs, the Tigers will have no trouble scoring and should win by a wide margin. If the Tiger receivers can't create any separation from the Bears' secondary, the Tigers could lose their season opener. 

Auburn should be able to take their season opener with ease, but this Mercer team is no joke, and the Tigers need to be ready to play their best football.

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