Auburn football aims to shake off a stunning loss to Cal by hosting New Mexico on Saturday evening at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Lobos are led by first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who has built successful programs at BYU and Virginia, creating a 135-81 record between the two stops. There is zero question that Mendenhall will bring the Lobos back to relevancy in the Mountain West Conference, but he knows that the program is not quite at the level he wants it to be. Mendenhall hopes his team will take a step forward this weekend on the Plains.
“When our program is functioning and playing the kind of football that I know we can and will, our collective will be the formidable part, not the individual matchups,” Mendenhall said earlier this week. “So yeah, this week, (we’re) racing to get the collective execution, the collective consistency, the collective complementary nature, offense, defense, special teams, all working at the same time to give us the best chance.”
The Lobos are 0-2 with losses to FCS Montana State and Arizona. Following a bye week, Mendenhall says that his team is ready for the next challenge in Auburn. He says that despite the recent loss to Cal, the Tigers are a well-coached team.
“Watching from afar, (they’re) talented, well-coached and capable. The game on Saturday, really, the difference was the turnover margin. Low-scoring game and without the turnovers, certainly more scoring could’ve happened for Auburn,” Mendenhall said. “Give Cal credit for going on the road and making enough plays to win the game. And it’s hard to do in that environment, on the road in college football. So, really well-played game right to the end.”
Although New Mexico is bringing a 0-2 record into Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Lobos are stout on offense. New Mexico boasts the No. 4 offense in the Mountain West by averaging 397 yards per game. Scoring-wise, the Lobos post 35 points per game, which is No. 3 in the conference behind UNLV and Boise State. However, New Mexico’s defense is the worst in the Mountain West, allowing an average of 597 yards per game.
If Auburn can improve upon its pass defense and can find a way to improve its offensive output, the Tigers could get back into the win column on Saturday.
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