Auburn Set to Host Samford Saturday

Week 3 of the college football season will feature a non-conference matchup between the Auburn Tigers and the Samford Bulldogs. Auburn is currently sitting at 2-0 after defeating UMass and California to begin the season, which is a promising sign of things to come according to head coach Hugh Freeze.

Auburn junior quarterback Payton Thorne has been off to a slow start this season. So far, Thorne has thrown for just three touchdowns to one interception, as well as sporting a 63.4 QBR. On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers have discovered a hidden gem in linebacker Eugene Asante. In the Tigers’ 14-10 victory over Cal Saturday, Asante had a phenomenal performance with 12 tackles and one sack.  His performance was tied with the entire SEC for the most tackles in Week 2, earning him Co-Defensive SEC Player of the Week honors.

Freeze said Asante has pleasantly surprised him and has stepped up in a major way for the Auburn defense.

Samford

On the other hand, the Samford Bulldogs are currently 1-1 on the season. Samford came out swinging with a strong performance against Shorter University, winning 69-14. Then, the Bulldogs were stopped in their tracks on Saturday against Western Carolina, losing 30-7. The team is currently led by senior Michael Hiers, who has thrown for almost 700 yards and six touchdowns. The Bulldogs are looking for the program’s first win over an SEC opponent since defeating Ole Miss in 1936. Despite this, Freeze believes the key to success will come on the ground, thanks to a strong selection of running backs.

A huge draw for the game comes from the similar home field advantage both teams share. With the schools being just two hours apart, both teams will be in attendance to cheer on their squad. Kickoff between Auburn and Sanford is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium.