Coming off their bye week, the Auburn Tigers are set to face the Mercer Bears of the Southern Conference on Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Although the Bears are heavy underdogs in this matchup, the Tigers are not going to take them lightly. After dropping their first game of the season, Mercer has amassed a nine-game winning streak while averaging more than 45 points per game since.
The storyline for the Tigers throughout the week has centered on the quarterback position and who would be Saturday’s starter. After Ashton Daniels’ impressive performance against Vanderbilt two weekends ago, it was announced that Daniels would sit out against Mercer to maintain his redshirt eligibility, with hopes of returning to the Tigers for the 2026 season.
Auburn interim head coach DJ Durkin announced Thursday night that coveted five-star recruit and true freshman Deuce Knight would receive his first career start for the Tigers.
It will be interesting to see just how developed Knight’s game is as a passer. Knight played limited snaps against Ball State earlier in the year, attempting only five passes. Throughout his high school career, he was praised for his rushing ability — both escaping the pocket and making plays downfield — while his passing game was viewed as less polished but full of potential.
Jackson Arnold is also expected to see snaps on Saturday. After losing the starting job to Daniels during the Arkansas game, Arnold has continued to provide strong leadership despite his struggles this season. Facing a weaker defense than those he has seen earlier in the year could help him regain some of the confidence he showed at the start of the season.
Speaking of confidence, another storyline for the Tigers this weekend will be the defense looking for a bounce-back performance after showing its first sign of weakness all season against Vanderbilt. Auburn allowed 45 points to the Commodores after not giving up more than 24 in any game prior. Mercer’s offense has been dominant this year, but the Bears have not faced a team close to Auburn’s caliber on defense. Auburn fans will be hopeful that the passing defense, in particular, can regain some confidence.
The Tigers will hope to use this game to clean up any kinks on either side of the ball before facing rival and top-10 Alabama in the Iron Bowl next weekend. Even so, it’s important that Auburn doesn’t overlook Saturday’s matchup with the Bears.
The Tigers have shown vulnerability in trap games before the Iron Bowl in recent years, including a devastating 21-point loss to New Mexico State just two seasons ago. For Auburn to reach bowl eligibility, it must win its next two games. While one of those matchups may feel far more significant—especially with the chance to knock a rival out of playoff contention—the Tigers have emphasized taking each week as it comes.
Make sure to catch the Tigers this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. CST in Jordan-Hare Stadium as they look to keep their bowl-game hopes alive!
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Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
