Five reasons why Auburn beats California on Saturday
After watching week one’s action, it is clear to see that Auburn is evenly matched with California ahead of their Saturday meeting.
Both teams have valuable quarterback options, a solid running game, and a defense that can disrupt a passing game. How can Auburn come away with the victory on Saturday night?
Thursday, we broke down the five reasons why Auburn may lose to the Golden Bears on Saturday, but now it is time to examine the reasons why Auburn could have an advantage.
There are several aspects that make Auburn and California similar, but if Auburn can take advantage of Cal’s vulnerable characteristics, the Tigers may earn a valuable win.
Here are five ways that Auburn can defeat California on Saturday.
Califonia's uncertainty at quarterback
California has two solid transfer quarterbacks in Ben Finley and Sam Jackson V. The Bears had to rely on Finley last week at North Texas after Jackson was deemed unavailable. Finley would go on to pass for 289 yards and a touchdown in Cal’s 58-21 win.
This week, head coach Justin Wilcox said that there is a possibility both Finley and Jackson will play against Auburn. Will chemistry continue to flow despite who is behind center?
The breakdown in run blocking
California rushed for 347 yards last Saturday at North Texas, with running back Jadyn Ott accounting for 178 of those yards. However, looking at California’s grades on Pro Football Focus, the run-blocking aspect of their offense received a low grade of 54.2. The highest-graded offensive lineman was left guard Matthew Wykoff, who graded out at 65.6.
Auburn allowed UMass to gain several big runs last week, so that is an area of improvement as well for the Tigers. However, if Auburn finds a way to break down a vulnerable position for California, their chances to win rise.
Higher offensive efficiency
Both California and Auburn produced excellent offensive numbers last week, but the most glaring stat between the two was Cal’s offensive output. Last week, the Golden Bears ran 95 plays opposed to Auburn’s 69.
Auburn will need to find a way to slow down California’s offense, and the best way to do that is to win the time of possession battle while making the most of the time they have.
Travel plans work for the better
Instead of leaving the day before the game, Auburn left Thursday in an effort to better prepare themselves for the time change. The playing field becomes more level if Auburn adjusts in adequate time.
If karma does its job
California running back Jadyn Ott provided Auburn with bulletin board material earlier this week. He said “There’s a lot of focus on the name Auburn. But what I see on film is not really in comparison to what their name is. I just want to get that into my guys’ heads that a name doesn’t mean anything.”
Auburn hired Hugh Freeze to change the reputation of its “name”, and the perfect time to show signs of improvement would be Saturday night against California.
