Auburn football will close out its season on Tuesday, in front of a sold-out crowd at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. The Tigers are taking on No. 20 Houston in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. later today, but here are a quick few things to know ahead of the game.
Game Information
Matchup: Auburn Tigers (6-6) versus No. 20 Houston Cougars (11-2)
Stadium: Protective Stadium
City: Birmingham, Alabama.
Capacity: 47,100
Kickoff time: 11 a.m. CST
TV: ESPN
Auburn’s quarterback situation
It’s expected that T.J. Finley will be starting the game for Auburn. Finley took over starting duties for the Tigers with two weeks left in the regular season, after Bo Nix went down with a season-ending ankle injury.
In two starts, Finley is 0-2, but both games were within possession. He’s thrown for 600 yards, five touchdowns and one interception this season.
Behind Finley will be a new No. 2 on the depth chart. It was reported earlier this month that Dematrius Davis, a highly-rated freshman quarterback, has been taking second-team reps in preparation for the bowl game.
Davis could see his first game action as an Auburn Tiger against Houston, something for fans to watch for on Tuesday.
Who’s playing? Who’s not?
Auburn will have a few guys not playing in the bowl game, as some have taken the liberty of opting out in preparation for the NFL Draft.
Key defensive players like Roger McCreary and Zakoby McClain won’t be in uniform, as well as offensive tackle Brodarius Hamm for this reason.
Another veteran offensive lineman, Nick Brahms, will miss the bowl game while recovering from knee surgery.
Other players who Auburn fans are familiar with that are not playing are those who have transferred out of the program, like running back Shaun Shivers and wide receiver Elijah Canion.
Houston has its top cornerback and kick returner Marcus Jones out, who declared for the NFL Draft and is opting out of the Birmingham Bowl.
What’s on the line?
Auburn is looking to finish with a winning record for the ninth consecutive season. The Tigers have had two streaks of nine-straight winning seasons in program history, with the latest being from 1982-90.
Houston has lost four bowl games in a row, with its last bowl game victory in the 2015 Peach Bowl against Florida State.
Series history
This will be the seventh all-time matchup between Auburn and Houston. It will be the first since 1973 that the two teams have faced each other.
Auburn leads the all-time series 5-1, but Houston’s lone victory against the Tigers was in the 1969 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.
The Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl was played in the Astrodome in Houston, which also served as the Cougars’ home stadium at the time. Tuesday’s matchup will be the first one held outside of Auburn or Houston.
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Originally from Helena, Ala., Caleb Jones is a senior studying journalism at Auburn University. He has been on staff with The Plainsman since 2019.
You can follow him here on Twitter: @calebjsports
