
The Missouri Tigers look to take advantage of a reeling Auburn team on Homecoming. We previewed the matchup with Adam Cole on our latest opponent Q&A.
Coming off a 45-3 win over UMass, The No. 19 Missouri Tigers (5-1) start the second half of the season with their Homecoming game against the Auburn Tigers (2-4) — who come in having lost three in a row. However, Auburn is the only team that Mizzou hasn’t beaten since joining the SEC.
Kick-off on Saturday at Faurot Field is set for 11:00 a.m. CST on ESPN with Dave Pasch (pxp), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter) on the call.
To get a perspective on Auburn, we talked it over with Adam Cole — who covers the other Tigers for the Opelika-Auburn News.
Here’s the Q and A to get you ready:
- Sammy Stava: Auburn comes into this game with a 2-4 record. Based off of preseason expectations, how disappointing has the first half been for the Tigers in Year 2 under Hugh Freeze?
Adam Cole: In short, really disappointing. The staff, and a lot of the roster, were super-overhauled for the sake of making this Hugh Freeze offense that much better. After the Week 2 loss at Cal, it was abundantly clear that this offense was dealing with a lot of the same questions it had facing it a season ago. Not to mention that Auburn started the year with a five-game homestand. It was plausible that the Tigers could’ve started the year undefeated, so to come out of it with just two wins — none of which were in conference play — was disheartening.
2. SS: What are the expectations in the second half of the season for Auburn? With their upcoming schedule, do you see the Tigers making a bowl game at this point?
AC: I think there’s hope that Auburn can still make a bowl game. But looking at the slate? That’ll be a tough hill to climb. The remainder of Auburn’s SEC games are against three ranked teams and another that sits on the outskirts of top-25 standing. The other two include one game on the road. And its lone nonconference game includes a one-loss Louisiana-Monroe squad. Sure, it’s feasible. But it’ll take one heck of a turnaround.
3. SS: Starting quarterback Payton Thorne has struggled to get Auburn’s offense going as he’s thrown six interceptions in five games. Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Hank Brown has seen some playing time this season but has been up and down. Will we see both QBs under center on Saturday?
AC: It’ll just be Thorne. Since he returned in the second half of Auburn’s game against Arkansas, he’s had just two turnovers and has looked far more in control of this offense. Should we see anyone but Thorne under center, I’d honestly call it a shock.
4. SS: Besides the quarterback position, who on the offense will need to step up in order for Auburn to pull off the upset? Who on the defensive side will need to have a big game?
AC: I think the biggest thing, which maybe touches on quarterback play, is functionality of the passing game. But at the same time, the run game sets up the pass. And Freeze said this week that Auburn needs to hand the ball off to Jarquez Hunter more. Defensively, Auburn’s secondary needs to step up. Luther Burden and Theo Wease will be their biggest test of the season to this point.
5. SS: Auburn currently comes in as a 4.5-point underdog on Saturday. How do you see this game going and what’s your final score prediction?
AC: I think Missouri wins. I just haven’t seen Auburn prove capable of winning games of this fashion to this point, and it’s the sort of thing I’ll believe when I see. I do think these passing offenses have the potential to have a day, so I’d say it could be a shootout. My final prediction? 35-24, Mizzou.
A big thanks to Adam for taking his time to answer our questions. You can follow him and AUBlog on X for all things Auburn coverage leading up to Saturday’s game.
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