Saturday when Louisiana-Monroe comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium, it will be the beginning of the last stand for the Auburn Tigers. Coming off an open week, the Tigers find themselves with a 3-6 record and need to win out for a bowl game to be possible. Getting to a bowl game will help Auburn prevent having a fourth consecutive losing season. That is something that has not been seen on the plains since the stretch between 1946 and 1950 when Auburn had five consecutive losing seasons. That streak spanned two coaches in Carl M. Voyles and Earl Brown. The current streak also has occurred between two coaches in Bryan Harsin and the current head coach Hugh Freeze. To get to 6-6, the Tigers must defeat Louisiana-Monroe, Texas A&M, and Alabama. It appears to be unlikely to happen with the way 2024 has gone for the Tigers.
Last Stand for the Auburn Tigers
Who are the Warhawks?
Louisiana-Monroe is currently fifth in the west division of the Sun Belt with a 3-3 conference record and 5-4 overall. The Warhawks are guided by first-year head coach Bryant Vincent. His only other head coaching experience was in 2022. That season, he served as interim head coach for the UAB Blazers after Bill Clark had stepped down prior to the season. Vincent led the Blazers to a 7-6 record and a Bahamas Bowl win.
The Warhawk offense is led by running back Ahmad Hardy. He leads the Sun Belt with 915 yards and has found the endzone nine times. Hardy has rushed for over 100 yards in six games and went for 206 in a 28-23 loss to Marshall on November 2nd. A lot of the offense has been placed on Hardy with passing game only averaging 128.7 yards per game. The Warhawks rank fourth in the Sun Belt in total defense giving up 370.3 yards per game. The group is led by Wydett Williams. He is fifth in the conference with 74 tackles on the season.
Will Payton Thorne Start?
On Monday during his weekly press conference, Freeze stated that quarterback Payton Thorne did not practice due to a shoulder injury. According to the head coach, Hank Brown, Holden Geriner, and Walker White received reps. If Thorne is unable to play, Brown would be the most likely starter against the Warhawks. White has mostly been a scout team quarterback this season as a true freshman, and Geriner has been ineffective in his limited playing time.
Brown started two games earlier this season against New Mexico and Arkansas. Overall, he has thrown for 403 yards and six touchdowns. All three of Brown’s interceptions were in the first half of the Arkansas game. Without Thorne on the field, the Tigers would lose the threat of the quarterback run game, but Brown is more willing to push the ball downfield than Thorne.
Rested Jarquez Hunter
Following the 17-7 loss to Vanderbilt, Freeze stated that running back Jarquez Hunter appeared to be “gassed” as the reason for the lack of carries in the second half. Hunter only rushed for 50 yards on 12 attempts against the Commodores. This was after a great performance against Kentucky when he gained 278 yards in the 24-10 victory. Saturday against the Warhawks should be an opportunity to get Hunter valuable carries in the first half, but also give opportunities to Jeremiah Cobb and Damari Alston. The running backs will be the quarterbacks’ best friend, and open up big plays for leading receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
Make the Warhawks Pass
To avoid any hope of an upset loss to Louisiana-Monroe the Tigers must take care of the football on offense regardless of who is at quarterback. If the Tigers manage the offense properly, it then flips to the defense. Stopping the rushing of Hardy will be key. Auburn is the fourth-best team in the SEC when it comes to stopping the run. Teams average just 109 yards on the ground against the Tigers.
Warhawks quarterback Aidan Armenta has been sacked this season only nine times. However, eight of those have occurred over the last three games during a three-game losing streak. Enter Keldric Faulk for the Tigers. The sophomore leads the team with seven sacks on the season and has had three multiple-sack games. Nose tackle Jalen Mcleod is second with five sacks. Both could have a big day against the offensive line of Louisiana-Monroe in the last stand for the Auburn Tigers.
