Bryan Harsin, T.J. Finley, and the rest of the Tigers are ready to prove themselves against Mercer to open the season.
After a long and challenging offseason, the Auburn Tigers will finally hit the field on Saturday to face the Mercer Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn enters the game with a lot to prove. Not only has the team seen multiple predictions that point to them finishing at the bottom of the SEC barrel, but head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] has faced his share of criticism as well.
Then, there’s [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag]. Finley won the three-member quarterback battle officially on Monday and is ready for the challenge of leading Auburn’s offense.
“I wasn’t mentally ready last year, nor was I physically ready, to take that job after Bo (Nix) got injured,” Finley said. “I had to be that role because I was the backup,” Finley said Monday during a press conference. “I did some observations after the season, and mentally I wasn’t where I needed to be to lead this team to finish the season out strong. But I strongly believe I’m there this year.”
As Auburn hits the field Saturday for the first game of the 2022 season, here’s a look at five reasons why they will begin the season 1-0.
Auburn is clearly more athletic than the Mercer Bears but here are five things they need to do on offense.
The start of Auburn football is just one day away and we can finally start talking about specific football games.
Auburn is set to open the season against the Mercer Bears Saturday in Jordan-Hare at 6 p.m. CT and the Bears are already 1-0 after dominating Morehead State 63-13 last week.
Auburn is clearly more talented and athletic than Mercer and it can be tough to have any big takeaways against an FCS opponent, even a good one.
Despite that, there are lots of questions about Auburn’s offense and this game will be the first chance to see how they have progressed over the off-season. This includes both newcomers who were brought in this offseason and experienced players who are looking to fill bigger roles.
Here are five keys for Auburn’s offense against Mercer.
Auburn Wire goes back to 2017 to recap the last time Auburn battled Mercer. Kam Pettway rushed for three scores in Auburn’s 24-10 win.
The Auburn Tigers open the 2022 season Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium against Mercer. The meeting will be the 13th all-time, with Auburn winning all 12 previous matchups.
Auburn and Mercer have an odd past. These two met for the first time in 1896, with Auburn defeating the Bears 46-0 in Macon. The two programs would become annual rivals from 1907-16, as both became members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, with Auburn winning all eight meetings. The Tigers and Bears would meet one more time in the 20th century, as Auburn defeated Mercer 50-6.
The bears disbanded their football program in 1942 and would reinstate it in 2014. Three years after Mercer’s resurgence, they would travel to Auburn to rekindle an old rivalry.
Auburn hosted Mercer for the third game of the 2017 season, and the Bears gave the Tigers all that they could handle.
Auburn had just come off of a grueling game at Clemson the week prior and needed to claw their way through to a 24-10 win. Despite the results not showing on the scoreboard, quarterback Jarrett Stidham passed for 364 yards in the win. Kam Pettway did most of the damage on the ground for Auburn, rushing for 128 yards and three touchdowns.
Although it was not a dominating effort, the win over Mercer in 2017 was a turning point for Auburn. Beginning with the Mercer game, Auburn would go on to win nine of their next ten football games en route to an SEC West championship. In that stretch, Auburn upset two No. 1 teams, Georgia and Alabama, over a three-week span.
While we prepare for the next edition of Auburn vs. Mercer, here’s a look at the best images from the last meeting between these two programs on September 16, 2017.
Here are things five things to know about Mercer before Saturday’s game.
The start of Auburn’s 2022 college football season is nearly upon us. The Tigers will open the season with the Mercer Bears, an FCS opponent.
While they are an FCS opponent the Bears can not be taken lightly, especially on offense. They played against Morehead State last week and cruised to a 63-13 win. This was in large part to their explosive offense which thrives on creating chunk plays and quick strikes.
This should provide a solid test for Auburn’s defense, giving them a chance to start the season with an opponent they are more talented than but is still dangerous.
Here are five things you should know about Mercer ahead of Saturday’s game in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Coach Bryan Harsin has made his selections for the opener against Mercer.
It’s college football week, and the Tigers are gearing up for their game this weekend.
Auburn was generous enough to provide a depth chart for Week 1, as reported by Justin Ferguson on Twitter. Unlike many depth charts, the Tigers have made up their mind on almost every position outside of special teams — save for one, which we’ll get to down the line. Quarterback [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] was confirmed to start earlier this week, but this depth chart gives Auburn fans the entire picture.
Without further ado, here is a complete list of the Tigers’ depth chart to kick off the 2022 season at home:
Here are the grades for Alabama’s performance vs. the Mercer Bears.
Nick Saban and the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated FCS opponent Mercer 48-14 on Saturday.
Alabama didn’t completely overpower the Mercer Bears as most fans would have expected, but there is plenty to dissect on the Tide’s performance.
Nick Saban constantly emphasizes the phrase “consistency in performance”, if Saturday’s performance proved anything, its that Alabama has a way to go in that particular area.
Time to grade the Tide’s performance.
OFFENSE: B+
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The Alabama offense wasn’t great on Saturday, but they weren’t bad either, just inconsistent. There were penalties, dropped passes, and other self-inflicted mistakes that kept the Tide from getting an A this week.
Alabama finished with 424 yards of total offense but was just 4/13 on third down. Not to take anything away from a resilient performance by the Mercer Bears defense, but Alabama should be better on third down against an FCS opponent.
I think it is important to note that Alabama is playing a lot of young and inexperienced players on offense and mistakes are part of that process.
DEFENSE: B+
Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
This grade may surprise some of you since the Alabama defense did give up 14 points to the Mercer Bears, but those points came with mostly reserve defenders in the game.
Overall the defense played well against an offense that is tough to prepare for and defend.
In the first half, Alabama held the Mercer offense to 12 passing yards and 23 rushing yards. Then Will Anderson went out with a lower leg injury and the staff decided to start rotating in several young players. That is why I gave the Tide defense a B+ grade. I am not going to punish the defense for playing a lot of players against an inferior opponent.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A-
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Like you, it pained me to see Will Reichard’s streak of made field goal attempts come to an end on Saturday, but overall it was a solid day for the special teams unit.
Chris Braswell was able to block a punt attempt by the Mercer Bears and Jase McClellan was able to pick it up and carry it in the endzone for a touchdown.
We also saw freshman sensation JoJo Earle take over the punt return duties and he flashed his potential as a playmaking returner.
OVERALL: B+
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Overall it wasn’t the type of performance coach Saban or the fans were looking for. Too many miscues and a lack of intensity made for a lackadaisical performance in terms of the Alabama standard. No need to panic, Alabama has a chance to reassert themselves next week as they travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.
What we learned from Alabama’s victory over Mercer
It wasn’t pretty, to say the least, but Alabama was able to get out of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday with a victory, by defeating the Mercer Bears 48-14.
Nick Saban tried to warn us earlier this week when he mentioned the intensity at practice was not where it needed to be.
In the postgame, Saban mentioned that the team needs to “shake themselves or they will get shook” next week by a more talented team in the Florida Gators.
Let’s take a look at some of the things we learned this week.
WATCH: Jase McClellan with the hat-trick for the Tide
It hasn’t always been pretty for the Alabama offense today, but they have answered the bell to start the second half with two touchdowns. The first came from Bryce Young to Jameson Williams on a touchdown pass. The second came when Bryce Young connected with Jase McClellan on a 21-yard touchdown pass.
McClellan has three touchdowns on the day. One on special teams, one on the ground, and now, one receiving.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for live in-game coverage on the Alabama Crimson Tide!
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.
There is one thing standing in the way of an Alabama victory over Mercer.
Alabama answered the bell last week in its dominating performance over the Miami Hurricanes and now look to carry the momentum into their home opener against the Mercer Bears.
Part of my role here at Roll Tide Wire is to bring to light some of the areas of concern heading into the matchup with the next opponent of the Crimson Tide. Sometimes those concerns are obvious and sometimes they are not.
There’s not much that should concern you if you are Alabama heading into this matchup. But if we have learned anything from coach Saban, it’s that the belief of just “getting by” can prove detrimental.
What do we call that type of mindset?
Complacency
I know it, you know it, and Nick Saban knows it. There is a reason that each time coach Saban has spoken to the media this week he emphasized the importance of respecting the opponent.
Coach Saban has made it clear that the team has not practiced in a manner that was acceptable to the coaching staff. The only explanation for that is complacency.
Look, Mercer doesn’t have the horses to compete with Alabama for four quarters, but if the game is closer than the experts think, it will be because of one reason and one reason only, complacency on the side of the Tide.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.
Alabama vs. Mercer: Gameday information, How to Watch, Stream, Listen
Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide football team will make their home debut of the 2021 season this Saturday against the Mercer Bears.
Alabama handled the Miami Hurricanes in week one of the season by a final score of 44 to 13, while the Mercer Bears took care of Point University by a score of 69 to 0.
Bryant-Denny Stadium should reach nearly full capacity for the first time since the 2019 season. If you can’t make the trip to Tuscaloosa, here is everything you need to know, so you don’t miss any of the action!
Kickoff, How to Watch/Stream/Listen
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. C.T. Saturday, Sept. 11
Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL
Television/Streaming: SEC Network/ ESPN app (Tom Hart, Jordan Rogers, and Cole Cubelic)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network/ Tunein app
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
