Auburn football returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday for the first time in 2026 to host Southern Miss for a 6:45 p.m. CT kickoff.
Auburn football was incredible at stopping the run in Week 1's win over Here are three defensive keys for the Stop Southern Miss' run gameSouthern Miss ran for 317 yards in its Week 1 win over Alcorn State last Saturday. The good news is that Auburn's defense limited Baylor to just 108 yards in Week 1.
Auburn's defense has a knack for stopping the run, and it must stick to the status quo on Saturday.
The defensive line must keep rolling
Two members of Auburn's defensive front, Chris Murray and Da'Shawn Womack, were injured in Auburn's season opener last Saturday. Players such as Darrion Smith, Jourdin Crawford, and Mailk Autry took advantage of the injuries by playing quality snaps in the win.at the beginning of the week, but the number of players getting adequate snaps is great for the Auburn defense and must continue on Saturday.
Who will be the next star(s)?
Linebacker Elijah Melendez and safety Eric Winters were the heroes of last week's game. Both players logged over 10 tackles each. Winters forced a fumble in the 1st quarter and made a goal-line stand with 0:09 left to prevent Baylor from taking a late lead.Those two, as well as linebacker Xavier Atkins, will always play a key role in Auburn's defensive performances. However, who will step up and become another threat? Defensive linemen Cody Sigler and Jared Smith, as well as safety Kaleb Harris, are all prime candidates to be a force in Auburn's defense on Saturday.
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