Auburn football

A look at the broadcast information, injury report, and players to watch for the Auburn Tigers and Mercer Bears season-opening tilt.

Regardless of how you feel about the head coach it is put up or shut up time for War Eagle. It is finally here for the Auburn faithful as the Tigers can put all the distractions behind them and play the game of football. Speaking of keeping their job, there is a lot of pressure on second-year head coach Bryan Harsin, at least in terms of being on the hot seat.

Auburn football is finally here. As the Tigers face Mercer in their first game of 2022, follow along for live score updates and analysis.

[An Auburn football player shares his favorite position group. It's a new beginning in one sense for Auburn: For the first time in three years, the Tigers have a new starting quarterback in the opener. They're picked last in the SEC West. The Tigers are facing scrutiny. New coach Bryan Harsin guided the Tigers through Door No. This time, it's extra important that Harsin avoids Door No.

Auburn will square off against Mercer at 6 p.m. CDT Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.

8,120 Yards of total offense for QB Bo Nix over the previous three seasons to set Auburn’s career record. The Bears’ offense set a school record for yards gained in the season-opening victory, which also included a school-record five TD passes. QB Fred Payton threw four of the TD passes, with three going to WR Ty James, who caught five passes for 192 yards in the game. Auburn hasn’t lost six games in a row since closing the 1951 season with losses to Ole Miss, Georgia, Clemson and Alabama and opening the 1952 campaign with losses to Maryland and Ole Miss. Mercer, from the NCAA FCS Southern Conference, will be the 25th non-major-college opponent in a season-opening game for Auburn, but the first since the Tigers kicked off the 1999 campaign with a 22-15 victory over Appalachian State. 4, 1980, and ending with a 17-0 loss to Alabama on Nov. 16, 2017, in the teams’ most recent meeting. 14 Is the rank this week for Mercer in the College Football Network’s FCS poll. The Bears moved up two spots from their preseason ranking after opening the campaign with a 63-13 victory over Morehead State on Aug. This is the third-longest such streak in Auburn history, behind a 13-game streak that ended with a 17-14 victory over Mississippi State on Sept. Although Auburn posted a 5-0-1 conference record in its final season in the Southern, the Tigers had an overall mark of 20-42-7 in league play, including a 29-game streak without a victory. 2 Auburn players have recorded more rushing yards in their freshman and sophomore seasons than RB Tank Bigsby, who will start his junior campaign against Mercer with 1,933.

After an offseason marked by change and controversy, it's time for Auburn to play football again. Rarely are hopes higher than when the record is 0-0.

--Today’s prediction: Auburn will jump out to a big lead, taking the drama out of the game. No, that doesn’t mean the quarterback race is ongoing. Players will tell you that taking on grown men on the other side of the ball is never easy. --Does that mean Auburn will overwhelm Mercer in the same way? In almost every game, you hear announcers say “The entire playbook is at his disposal.” The entire playbook is always at the disposal of any play-caller. What Auburn coaches will want to see is effort and execution.

The Auburn Tigers are set the kick-off the season by hosting the Mercer Bears. We give a breakdown of this opening contest.

They should get a lot of players in this one and establish who they are for the rest of the season. Things will be different against these Auburn Tigers, and the likes of They should see plenty of chances with big plays with the attention paid to stopping the run game. The main question is does Auburn look engaged from the outset? As a matter of fact, Finley proved to be the steadier of the three, as Calzada found himself slipping down the depth chart. With 15 starters returning, this should be one of the best teams in the Southern Conference. The unit is led by In 2021, Bigsby rushed for 1,099 yards and 10 touchdowns, but those numbers should improve with a renewed focus on the running game. Finley](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tj-finley-1.html), who ended the season as the Tigers starter after Bo Nix was lost for the season. The Auburn Tigers had a tumultuous off-season, but they can now put that behind them with the start of a new season against Mercer. The season opener will be key for Auburn getting off to a hot start to keep the hot seat chatter away from Harsin. The Mercer Bears play out of the Southern Conference in the FCS.

Twitter was bumping after former Auburn football QB Bo Nix threw his first interception as Oregon's starting signal-caller against Georgia.

Nothing beats loneliness like checking Twitter after seeing something spectacular and basking in the glory of the wild reactions. He also had a six-yard rush after calling his own number in a designed run play. Nix’s first drive resulted in a punt after a dropped pass and poorly thrown ball that bounced off a Ducks receiver’s helmet.

Former Auburn football star Bo Nix now plays quarterback for the Oregon Ducks, leading many people to wonder why he even transferred in the first place.

Nix can go to a place in need of a starting quarterback and play for championships, too. Ultimately, Nix has two years if he wants them at Oregon, as the 2020 COVID year does not have to count if he so chooses. Another factor is Oregon is infinitely more likely to win a conference championship than Auburn at this stage of the game. This was a reason why heading to Oregon was so appealing. Lastly, Nix needed a change of scenery. While they did not achieve the same level of success as they did when Patrick Nix quarterbacked the team, his son would have been the undisputed starter had he just stayed put.

The Tigers will start out the 2022 campaign with the Mercer Bears. Follow along for live updates, news, and takeaways. All you need to do is update the page.

The Tigers will start out the 2022 campaign with the Mercer Bears. All you need to do is update the page. Follow along for live updates of the Auburn Tigers and the Mercer Bears.

We're here at Jordan-Hare for the opening game of the 2022 season. Auburn is starting T.J. Finley at quarterback. Bryan Harsin's squad has the first ...

Finley returned to the game on the ensuing play and lead Auburn down the field to set up Hunter’s run. Finley completed a 39-yard pass to Ja’Varrius on 2nd and 7 from the Mercer 41 yard line to set up Shenker’s touchdown a play later. Auburn 175 yards, including 110 on the ground in the first quarter. Robby Ashford started the four-play drive off with a 49 yard run on 1st and 10 from Tigers seven yard line. Auburn by the numbers: Tigers own 499-point advantage](https://www.al.com/sports/2022/09/mercer-vs-auburn-by-the-numbers-tigers-own-499-point-advantage.html) [What we know about Auburn football before its season-opener](https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2022/09/what-we-know-about-auburn-football-before-its-season-opener.html) [Tiger Buzz: Auburn vs. Mercer punted the ball away four plays after James caught the first down from Bears’ quarterback Fred Payton. Finley threw an interception to Mercer safety on a 3rd and 18 pass from the Auburn 18. He got a 10-yard run on 2nd and four from Mercer’s 13 yard line. Mercer had a three-and-out on its third possession of the contest. Finley handed the ball to Ashford, who was also in the backfield. Auburn has four touchdowns on it’s first five drives. We’re here at Jordan-Hare for the opening game of the 2022 season.

Auburn captains Derick Hall, John Samuel Shenker, and Owen Pappoe will be wearing captain patches on their jersey this season, per Auburn football's social ...

[Hall](https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/aubrun-football-espn-top-100-tank-bigsby-derick-hall-colby-wooden) has recorded 13 career sacks with the Tigers, including nine last season. [Shenker](https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/auburn-football-john-samuel-shenker-talks-bryan-harsin) set an Auburn single-season record for most receptions and yards by a tight end in 2021. [Follow Auburn Daily on Twitter](https://twitter.com/si_auburn) [Like Auburn Daily on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Auburndaily) [Subscribe to Locked On Auburn on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/lockedonauburn) [Five reasons why Auburn will beat Mercer](https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/five-reasons-auburn-football-defeats-the-mercer-bears) [Four reasons why Auburn benefits from College Football Playoff Expansion](https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/four-reasons-why-auburn-football-will-benefit-from-college-football-playoff-expansion) [Auburn fans wake up excited for game day](https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/auburn-fans-wake-up-ready-for-the-season-opener-vs-mercer) [Auburn Daily Roundtable: Week One](https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/auburn-football-bryan-harsin-roundtable-mercer-bears) [How to watch the Auburn/Mercer game](https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/how-to-watch-the-auburn-football-game-vs-the-mercer-bears) [Clint Richardson](https://twitter.com/Clintau24/status/1566177114918895616?s=20&t=SNHOF5NmdsBOfW5tHeD8vw), an Auburn uniform researcher and self-proclaimed "uniform and aesthetic nerd," the Tigers have never worn captain patches before. WATCH: Auburn football adds captain patches to jerseys of Derick Hall, John Samuel Shenker, and Owen Pappoe

Auburn Tigers linebacker Wesley Steiner (32) closes in on Mercer Bears running back Fred. Eric Starling/Auburn Daily.

After throwing his second interception, he was pulled from the game in favor of Ashford, who controlled the offense for the rest of the game. Can he do it again this season, or will the tide shift in another QBs favor because of ineptitude? Bryan Harsin has proved he can make two quarterback systems work in the past. Ashford completed 4 of his 7 passes for 100 yards. Auburn took their time on offense and did not rush anything, which surprised me. Bigsby finished with 147 yards on 16 carries to go along with two touchdowns, while backup running back Jarquez Hunter racked up three touchdowns on just 7 carries.

Auburn football and Mercer are in a weather delay in their 2022 season-opening game. Stay updated on when the game is scheduled to resume here.

[Bryan Harsin's Tigers](https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2022/08/29/zach-calzada-auburn-football-robby-ashford-quarterback-backup/10357790002/) are seeking their first win since Oct. [Scouting report, score pick for Auburn vs. [How to watch Auburn vs. [TJ Finley was not the people's choice QB1 for Auburn football. By rule, play can only resume after 30 minutes pass without lightning within eight miles. The game is scheduled to resume by 10 p.m.

Auburn picked up their first win of the season against the Mercer Bears on Saturday after a lengthy lightning delay.

[Cam Riley](https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/tag/cam-riley/) showed why the coaching staff is so high on him. Finley](https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/tag/t-j-finley/) was Auburn’s starting quarterback but backup quarterback [Robby Ashford](https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/tag/robby-ashford/) played early and showed that the battle for Auburn’s starting quarterback may not be over. He finished the night 4-of-7 for 100 yards and rushing for 68 yards on six carries. [Tank Bigsby](https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/tag/tank-bigsby/) and [Jarquez Hunter](https://auburnwire.usatoday.com/tag/jarquez-hunter/) led the way offensively, combining for five rushing touchdowns and 181 yards. After Finley started the game 8-of-9 for 100 yards and one touchdown his night took a turn. The Tigers had to wait for their first win as lighting forced an hour and 27-minute delay in the third quarter.

** T.J. Finley threw his 2nd interception of the game on Auburn's first possession of the 2nd half. Robby Ashford took over at QB on next series and threw a 56- ...

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Auburn is on the board. The Tigers led a strong opening drive against Mercer, eventually finding the end zone by way of Jarquez Hunter, who broke a run outside ...

He totaled 593 yards and 3 touchdowns on 89 attempts last season, complementing fellow back Tank Bigsby well as a second option. The Tigers looked good on that opening drive, too. Auburn is on the board.