With a new coaching staff, Auburn is looking to improve on its 6-5 record from last season. The Tigers face the Akron Zips, who have gone 1-17 over the past two years.
With a whole season ahead and many new faces coming into this game, here are some players worth keeping an eye on this weekend.
Auburn
Tank Bigsby (RB)
The sophomore from LaGrange, Georgia, returns to Auburn with an SEC Freshman of the Year award already under his belt. Even with competition in the backfield and a COVID-19 shortened season, he managed to rack up 834 yards in his freshman campaign, averaging six yards a carry.
With Akron returning 10 defensive starters from a defense that ranked 120th in the FBS last year in rushing yards per game, Bigsby could add plenty to his statsheet. This all depends, of course, on how head coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo choose to deploy him and fellow running back Shaun Shivers.
Owen Pappoe (LB)
Standing just barely over six feet and weighing 226 pounds, Pappoe may not look like your typical monster in the middle, but what he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in speed and motor. In his sophomore season, he finished second in the SEC for solo tackles with 56. The civil engineering major comes into this year as a defensive captain and a preseason All-SEC Third Team selection.
While the Akron offense returns nine starters from 2020, it only averaged 281 total yards per game last season. With his sideline-to-sideline range, don't be surprised it Pappoe comes close to his career high 14 tackles that he reached last season against Ole Miss.
Colby Wooden (DE)
Derek Mason, the Tiger's new defensive coordinator, is known for his aggressive rushes. In 2012, his Stanford defense led the nation with 57 sacks. Wooden, who totaled four sacks and six QB hits last season, could likely notch a couple more this weekend. Akron allowed 26 sacks in only six games last season, which ranked near the bottom of the FBS.
Akron
Bubba Arslanian (LB)
Arslanian is, not unlike Pappoe, an undersized linebacker with the skill to find and take down the ball carrier fast. In 2020, the Aurora, Ohio, native led the NCAA in both solo (7.8) and total (12.3) tackles per game. This included a 16-tackle performance to help the Zips win their only game in 2020, a 31-3 victory over Bowling Green. With plenty of running playcalls expected from Auburn, Arslanian may add quite a few to his 212 career total tackles.
Anthony Williams (RB)
With first-team All-MAC Teon Dollard gone, the Zips will hand the ball of to Williams in 2021, a Michigan State transfer and Bolingbrook, Illinois, native who only had four carries with the Spartans last season. Although he’s under 200 lbs, Big 10 running backs are known to be tough and aggressive. If he can get past the defensive front, he may be able to break off for a couple big runs.
Andre Williams (WR)
After missing 2020, Williams could prove to be a breakout performer for a Zips team that lost their leading receiver in Nate Stewart. In 2018, Williams led Akron with 649 yards and 46 receptions. While not physically imposing, his quickness and route-running ability could give the Auburn secondary some issues.
Keys to Victory
Auburn
Keeping the ball on the ground is a great way to avoid big mistakes and squash any hopes for an underdog victory. The biggest key is to avoid turnovers and trusting Bigsby to carry the football with consistent success.
Keep up the tempo, use the heat and humidity to your advantage. A tired defense means plenty of points for the Tigers.
Getting to the opposing quarterback is an essential part of any defense and Auburn should be no exception. Overwhelming Akron's offensive line and pressuring the quarterback before he can make his reads will also increase Auburn's chance to win.
Akron
The Zips’ main focus is to play aggressively, on both sides of the ball. While they may be outsized in the trenches, they could very well win plenty of battles at the skill positions.
Protecting the quarterback is a must for Akron. While it's unknown who will be the starter for the Zips on Saturday, a little more time in the pocket never hurts.
Blitzing on first down may be a risky thing to do in most games, but Akron shouldn’t be worried about allowing big plays, those can happen anyway with Auburn’s speed. Akron needs to focus on forcing mistakes and keeping its offense on the field longer.
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
