aubiefifty 18,398 Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Tiger Buzz: Auburn vs. ULM TV, key matchups, players to watch Updated 5:30 AM; Posted 5:30 AM Auburn defensive back Nick Ruffin (19) and Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis (57) tackle ULM wide receiver Marcus Green during the first half Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com) 1 share By James Crepea jcrepea@al.com ULM (4-5) AT No. 6 AUBURN (8-2) When: Saturday, 11 a.m. CT Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama TV: ESPN2 Line: Auburn by 37 This game will determine... How healthy Auburn is heading into the Iron Bowl. There is no way ULM wins this game. The Warhawks may not be able to make it competitive if last year's 58-7 game is any indicator. The Tigers will likely hold a couple of offensive linemen out and in an ideal world, would take the starters out at halftime of a blowout. Key matchup Auburn's kickoff team against ULM's kickoff return team. Auburn has struggled at defending kickoff returns all season and ULM has one of the best return men in the country in Marcus Green. If all goes according to plan, Auburn will be kicking off a lot. Even with a large lead, Green could provide an explosive play to keep ULM in the game longer than it should be. Perhaps more importantly, he could expose areas of Auburn's kickoff unit that other teams could try and attack in the future. Three things to watch... 1. ULM passing game: The Warhawks spread the ball around, with three receivers over 400 yards, and Caleb Evans leads a top 30 passing attack. Auburn will be by far the toughest competition ULM faces this season, but ULM will test the Tigers secondary. 2. Special teams: As noted, Auburn's kickoff return defense has been brutal. Daniel Carlson was not consistently getting the ball out of the end zone last week and wind or not, that will be an area to pay attention to. So too will punts and punt returns. 3. Health and personnel: The faster Auburn can get its second and third-team in the better. How those players perform in what could be one of their last chances to play significant snaps will be noteworthy and any additional looks Auburn can put on tape before the Iron Bowl would be beneficial. ULM players to watch Evans and Green. It's a different quarterback than ULM played at Jordan-Hare last season. His raw stats are not far behind those of Jarrett Stidham, granted those figures have come against far weaker competition. Green is ULM's top receiver and return man. By the numbers 25 - Auburn is 25-0 all-time against Sun Belt teams. Key injuries Auburn --OT Darius James probable (leg), OG Mike Horton probable (left ankle), RB Kamryn Pettway out (fractured shoulder blade), RB JaTarvious Whitlow out (ankle) ULM -- DT Derion Ford probable (undisclosed), RB Ben Luckett probable (undisclosed), LB David Griffith questionable (undisclosed), TE Josh Pederson questionable (undisclosed), TE Cody McGuire questionable (undisclosed), WR Jonathan Hodoh questionable (undisclosed), DL Shaquille Warren questionable (undisclosed), DB Nick Ingram out (undisclosed), DB J.J. Dallas out (undisclosed), OL Keaton Baggs out (ACL), Collin Turner out (undisclosed), LB Jarred Dunn out (undisclosed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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