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Staff Predictions - Auburn vs Alabama State

New I-85 rivalry?? I think so!

Auburn v Washington Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Auburn meets Alabama State tomorrow at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the home opener, and we’ve got all the right predictions for the outcome right here!

AUBURN vs ALABAMA STATE

“Two out of the last three years, these FCS games have been... tricky? for Auburn. Luckily, this isn’t the 2015 Auburn team, and Mercer caught lightning in a bottle by forcing five turnovers against us last year. Auburn is going into this one coming off the best out-of-conference win in Gus’s career, and while that might seem like a recipe for complacency against Alabama State, I think the sheer number of freshmen fighting for playing time after last week (and going into the LSU game) should drive a pretty strong performance for the Tigers. Will *we* as fans learn anything about the team in this game? Probably not. If we rush for 400 yards, it doesn’t mean the ground game is totally fixed. But I do think the coaches will have a good list of things to work on (ahem, penalties), and I do think this is an easy win for Auburn. 51-10.” - Ryan Sterritt

“I really don’t like hornets. We’ve had them by my house a bit here recently and I usually declare a fatwa on them fairly quickly. I lose my mind a bit. That said, if Auburn doesn’t dispatch with Bama State fairly quickly, I’ll understand. It’s tough to get excited about a game like this after winning a game like that against Washington. Auburn 52-17.” - Son of Crow

“If you don’t think Gus Malzahn isn’t gonna try and run for 400+ yards this week then I don’t know what to tell you. After an outstanding win this past Saturday, Auburn still has some things to clean up, none bigger than the run game. Considering that is Gus’s pride & joy, you can bet Auburn is going to hit Alabama State early and often with the power run game. I expect 1-2 deep shots early just to knock off the rust but this game is going to be about the offensive line and cleaning up some of the issues that plagued this rushing attack last week. I’m genuinely scared for this Alabama State quarterbacks life.... AU 52, ASU 7” - AU Nerd

The good news about this game is that it should be viewed at some point. Sure, there are bigger games around the country (UGA and USC and USC Stanford) but there were things last week that should be corrected and this would be the game to go through the motions. I am interested to see how the blocking looks, both running and passing on offense. Auburn will dominate both but I want to see the schemes and look at how crisp everything should look. On defense, I expect a wave of defensive linemen to learn the Hornet backfield’s deepest darkest secrets and what their 1st grade teachers name was. Everyone sees the field in what should be a walk. Auburn 59, Bama State 0.” - Drew McCracken

Alabama State is not Mercer or Jacksonville State. They’re not even close. There are going to be plays that go for touchdowns purely on skill player athleticism. There are going to be plays on defense where a solid Hornet playcall might get dropped for a loss. Ideally the second half is a proving ground for the freshmen. I have a feeling everybody plays in this one, especially with the new redshirt rule. Nice win incoming. Auburn 69, Alabama State 6.” - James Jones

Let me start off saying that I’m not a fan of these FCS games. I would love to see this game being played in the Spring, but that’s a subject for another day. Anyways, after such a huge opener against Washington and throwing in the fact that Auburn has LSU next week (in what suddenly might be a Top 10 game), I can understand why Auburn put this game here. The biggest goal for Saturday: stay healthy. Run the ball, get the young guys some playing time and take care of business. Auburn 59-7” - Will McLaughlin

“There won’t be any drama about this one. Auburn fans will be able to enjoy a nice afternoon of tailgating and watching South Carolina beating Georgia before settling in for what should amount to a scrimmage. We’ll get to see a ton of young guys pitch in, and it should be a nice crisp outing for Jarrett Stidham and the receivers as they get more tuned up before LSU.

I think Boobee gets a good amount of work, and we’ll see Asa Martin get his first carry of the year as well. If there’s a game that Auburn can use to oil the running attack, it’s this one. The Hornets allowed 273 yards (5.9 ypc) to Tuskegee last week, while their offense only gained 292 total yards in an overtime win. With that, I imagine the defensive front will feast early and often for Auburn and put this one well in hand before halftime.

Gus usually goes pretty vanilla for these kinds of games, but I don’t think this is a team that would be able to hang with Auburn even if we tipped our plays before every snap. Auburn dominated 55-7.” - Jack Condon