The Auburn Tigers head west this Saturday for their first-ever encounter with the Cal Bears. It is a rare SEC versus Pac-12 match-up. That said though, Arizona and Mississippi State do meet in week two as well. For Auburn, it will be playing in a time slot that is not the norm. The game between the Tigers and Bears will be at 9:30 p.m. CST on ESPN. Head coach Hugh Freeze said during this week’s press conference that the furthest he had taken a team was in 2020. That was when Liberty traveled to take on BYU. He has made it known he does not like west coast trips.
Auburn Tigers Head West
Auburn Versus the Pac-12
When the Auburn Tigers head west this weekend it will be the first time since 2019 that they have played a Pac-12 team. That was the infamous Bo Nix game against Oregon that saw Auburn win 27-21. The Tigers have not traveled to a team from the Conference of Champions since 2002 when they played USC. Auburn went into that game ranked sixth in the country but was defeated 23-0. That was the first college start for Matt Leinart. Auburn hopes to come home happy this time around.
Who Are the Cal Bears?
Auburn will look to improve to 8-2 all-time against the Pac-12. It will not be easy against this Bears squad. Like Auburn, they are looking to rebound from a disappointing 2022 season. The Bears were 4-8 on the season and had a 2-7 conference record. Their head coach is Justin Wilcox and holds a 31-36 record over six-plus seasons. Last week they got their season off to a good start by defeating North Texas 58-21.
In 2022, Cal struggled on offense averaging just 23.9 points per game. That number ranked 95th in FBS. This team is not without talent though. The focus of the offense is sophomore running back Jaydn Ott. As a freshman in 2022, Ott rushed for 897 yards and eight touchdowns. Last week in the win over North Texas, he rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns. During this week’s press conference, Freeze stressed that it will be important to slow him down. On the defensive side of the ball, under Wilcox, Cal has typically been well-coached.
Keys for Auburn
When the Auburn Tigers head west, there are a few keys to victory. They will need to have the same efficiency on offense as they did against UMass. The Golden Bears are a major step up in competition though. A big part of the Auburn offensive success in week one involved both quarterbacks. The starter Payton Thorne had a solid performance going 10 of 17 for 141 yards and had one touchdown. The backup Robby Ashford was the redzone closer. Ashford did not do much through the air, but he ran for 51 yards and three touchdowns. This week, Freeze discussed not being predictable. Look for Auburn to continue its attempt to keep its opponent guessing this week.
Auburn will need the running backs to be a factor. Against the Minutemen they totaled 289 yards rushing, and that was without assumed starter Jarquez Hunter. When asked about the running back in this week’s presser, Freeze avoided answering by stating there are questions about several players’ availability this week. If he is not in the lineup again look for Damari Alston and Brian Battie to get the bulk of the carries. Appearances from the other running backs, Sean Jackson and Jeremiah Cobb would not be surprising. The two combined for two touchdowns and 121 yards last week. Both broke runs of 40-plus yards.
On defense, the front will be the key to stopping Ott from having a big game. During Fall camp, on more than one occasion Freeze talked about the rush offense and that the unit played well in practice and scrimmages. He often claimed during media availability that Auburn would either be a really good run team or a team that could not stop the run. Against UMass, the Tigers had issues stopping the ground game on the Minutemen’s first possession. The Tigers were able to clean it up but still gave up 140 yards. Kentucky transfer Justin Rogers, Jayson Jones, and Marcus Harris will need to keep the middle closed up. Keeping the pressure that was seen in game one with Donovan Kaufman and Elijah McAllister when Cal does throw the ball will be pivotal. Keeping the Bears behind the chains takes Ott away.
Auburn-Cal Prediction
So, who wins when the Auburn Tigers head west? On paper, Auburn should be the more talented team. The only real offensive threat for the Bears is Ott at running back with inexperience at quarterback. He should get some yards, but the experienced Auburn secondary should hold the passing game. The Tigers’ offense will score four touchdowns, and they win the game 28-6.
Photo courtesy: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
