As the orange and blue Tigers head into Faurot Field today to take on the No. 21 Missouri Tigers, our sports staff answered a few questions on what to expect from Auburn following the bye week.
What do you expect Auburn to change on Saturday following the bye week?
Patrick Bingham, Sports Editor: "I expect Auburn to get the ball into Rivaldo Fairweather's hands, maybe even in red zone opportunities, like it did a season ago frequently."
Grace Heim, Assistant Sports Editor: "Freeze has emphasized many times that playing clean, exceptionally sound football has been a focus the past two weeks. I would expect the Tigers to have less miscommunication mistakes than in previous games."
Logan Fowler, Sports Reporter: "I would expect Auburn to rely on its running game a bit more on Saturday. Jarquez Hunter has been a bright spot for the offense despite his limited amount of carries, and Hugh Freeze mentioned in his presser this week that Hunter needs to be more involved in the offense. "
Albert Osorio, Sports Writer: "They need to smoothly change their playstyle throughout the game. If they have a steady lead in the fourth quarter, they must be more conservative around the ball because disaster struck when they played Oklahoma with a pick six late in the fourth quarter a few weeks before. However, they must be aggressive and get the passing game going early in the game like they did a couple times this season in order to take control."
What Missouri player should Auburn lookout for?
Patrick Bingham, Sports Editor: "Brady Cook. The Missouri quarterback opened the 2024 season with five 200-yard passing performances in the Tigers' first six contests. It'll take quite the performance from a banged up and young Auburn secondary to prevent a sixth 200-yard game."
Grace Heim, Assistant Sports Editor: "I'll go with quarterback Brady Cook. While he hasn't had quite the same season as he did in a magical 2023 campaign, Cook is still one of the top players at the position in the SEC. Auburn could have its hands full on Saturday afternoon."
Logan Fowler, Sports Reporter: "Missouri has plenty of options to fit in to this category, and while the black and gold Tigers' most lethal weapon is Luther Burden, I'm going to go with Brady Cook. It all starts with him, and he has proven to be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC for two straight years. If Auburn can find a way to limit and pressure him, it should bode well for DJ Durkin's defense in its biggest challenge thus far."
Albert Osorio, Sports Writer: "Brady Cook for sure. He is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the SEC and one of the reasons why Mizzou was ranked so high earlier this season. The Auburn secondary must find ways to prevent him from making plays, as well as forcing him to turn over the ball as well. The Mizzou defense isn't too shabby either, as they had three games this season with three or less points allowed."
If Auburn pulls off an upset on Saturday, they have to ________.
Patrick Bingham, Sports Editor: "Take advantage of red zone opportunities. Missouri has scored on 80-of-81 (.988) combined trips to the red zone since the start of the 2023 season. Auburn will have to take advantage of scoring opportunities in order to pull off the upset."
Grace Heim, Assistant Sports Editor: "Make better decisions in key points of what should be a close game. The Tigers have struggled in big moments and in critical plays so far this season. The tide will have to turn on that trend for Auburn to get a second straight win in Columbia, MO."
Logan Fowler, Sports Reporter: "Simply put, Auburn must play mistake-free football. No more shooting themselves in the foot, turning the ball over or miscommunication on critical downs. Freeze talked about consistency in the execution during the bye week and that's exactly what needs to happen.
The Tigers will also need a well-rounded performance from their defense and must find a way to limit explosive plays from Missouri's passing attack."
Albert Osorio, Sports Writer: "If Auburn wants to pull off this upset, they simply have to attack early and finish strong. This team is known for taking control of games in the first half, but a couple mistakes in the second half have led them to disaster. They need to limit mistakes and make smart plays when needed, as well as playing physical, aggressive ball. This is an important game for Coach Freeze because he needs to prove himself that he can lead this program to success in the coming years and an upset on Saturday will keep himself out of the hot seat."
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