Dap Recap: What Must Happen In Order For Auburn’s Football Season Opener To Be Considered A Success?

There are a variety of criteria that can be used to judge whether or not Auburn's opener against Alabama A&M is beneficial. Here are five things that could determine if the Auburn Tigers accomplish that goal in week one.

WIN the Game

This may sound like a no-brainer, but after Auburn laid a giant egg against New Mexico State last year, some fans in orange and blue might be a little skittish about playing a huge underdog like the Bulldogs. Their concerns are unfounded however as New Mexico State is an FBS school that went 10-5 last year and played in a bowl game. Alabama A&M is a FCS school that went 5-6 last year. There is a big difference in both teams. Auburn should win very comfortably.

No Injuries

Ask any head coach, and they will tell you their greatest fear while playing an overmatched team is the possibility of one of their key players getting hurt. Ideally you want to come out of the game with no significant injuries. Play your starters, build your lead, and get them out before the chance of injury occurs. Same with your key reserves.

Play Multiple Players

Auburn in particular has a bunch of talented freshman that fans have been anxiously waiting to see perform on the field. Cam Coleman, one of those freshmen, should start and see immediate playing time. However there a bevy of freshman reserves on both sides of the ball that need to see playing time. Its not just limited to freshman either. Quarterback, the defensive line, linebackers and the defensive secondary, all have key reserves that playing time would be invaluable to. Getting out to a big lead and substituting freely is the only way that happens.

Pass Rush Shows Potential

One of the many question marks heading into the season was could Auburn muster up enough of a pass rush to pressure the QB. Edge rushers like Jalen McLeod and Keyron Crawford have to get to the quarterback multiple times on Saturday. Defensive ends Keldric Faulk and Amaris Williams must also eat. Look for Demarcus Riddick to have a key role in rushing the passer as well. As a whole, Auburn must have multiple sacks in order to show promise on the pass rushing front.

Balance on Offense

Auburn has played Alabama A&M twice in the last twelve years. In both blowout wins for the Tigers they relied heavily on the run game, while controlling the ball for long stretches. They did not throw it hardly as much, and did not put much on tape in the way of dynamic play calling. That must change this time around. Auburn QB Payton Thorne must gain confidence and with all of his shiny new toys in the way of new wide receivers look for Auburn to throw more. Offensive balance is imperative for a successful Auburn season. What does that look like in the way of stats for this game? Something like over 500 yards of total offense with the passing game being closer to 275 yards on 25-30 attempts and the running game exceeding 250 yards on the ground.