Hot on the heels of its 35-27 comeback win against South Carolina, the Auburn Tigers must now turns its sights to Louisiana Monroe.
Auburn faces the Warhawks Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium at 11 a.m.
Junior quarterback Cam Newton contributed to all five Auburn touchdowns Saturday and had 158 passing and 176 rushing yards.
"It was a big game for us," Newton said. "We knew it was going to be tough. A lot of guys had to block on the perimeter and make big plays. We knew we had to have a good running game, and that is what we did."
Newton's stats against the Gamecocks earned him several awards this week, including Rivals.com National Player of the Week and his second SEC Offensive Player of the Week title.
"I think that Cam Newton is running the ball exceptionally well," said ULM head coach Todd Berry. "He's a very aggressive runner in the sense that, instead of running out of bounds, he's going to try to run over you. We're going to have to do a great job of tackling and containing him."
In addition, freshman tailback Michael Dyer gained 67 yards in the second half, totaling 100 yards in 23 carries.
"Coach called the right plays at the right times," Dyer said. "Guys responded well, and we did everything we were supposed to do tonight. In the second half, we went out there and did what was asked of us. Our offensive line just dominated in the second half."
Auburn coach Gene Chizik said although the Tigers face another specialized version of the spread offense Saturday, it's ULM's defensive pressure that could prove to be the real test.
"Defensively, it can get quite challenging," Chizik said. "They're moving everywhere--and different blitzes from all directions, which can be very challenging as well."
Though Chizik said the game will be used to keep improving team performance, he also mentioned the possibility of playing time for sophomore quarterback Barrett Trotter.
"We'll play that by ear," Chizik said. "We expect every game to go down to the end. That's what's happened the last three weeks, so if it does get to that point, we'll obviously have a plan for it."
One specific area Chizik said the team needs to improve in is speeding up the first half.
The coach noted that Auburn's wins the past few weeks have come after halftime adjustments, and that the balance between offensive and defensive effort is pivotal.
"There's some give and take in there, where you'd like the defense to be right on point and the offense is moving the ball," Chizik said. "We can get some first downs and score some points, and I said earlier, I just don't think we've done that for four quarters."
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