The Opening Drive: Auburn vs. New Mexico

AUBURN, Ala. – Adversity reveals character. 

It’s easy to respond after a historic win like Auburn had in week one. But how will the Tigers respond this week after Saturday’s loss to Cal, the first setback of the 2024 season?

“Bouncing back. That’s our only goal,” running back Damari Alston said. “After a week like that, that’s the only thing we can do. Our next opponent is our focus. Today is our focus. Going 1-0 each day is our focus. Those are the things we’re trying to do and trying to accomplish this week. 

“Maybe we’ve got to do more. Maybe we’ve got to go harder. Execute more in practice. Get more looks in practice. Just rally together as a team after a game like that and come together and learn and know what type of team we are and what we can do the rest of the season.”

It’s still early. Auburn still has 10 games remaining in the regular season. Conference play hasn’t even begun yet. Everything is still in play for this team moving forward. But how they respond this week will dictate how the rest of the season goes. 

“Football season is a long season,” head coach Hugh Freeze said. “There were many good teams that struggled Saturday, and some got beat like we did. One game cannot define a season. I know that’s the outside world, the noise that comes with today’s times, I know that your players hear all of that. It’s a real battle you have to face. 

“The goal should be 1-0 this week. Period. And nothing else. That message will come across clear to our kids, and hopefully they’ll respond the right way.”

This week’s opponent, New Mexico, has scored 30 or more points in each of its first two games and trailed by just three at halftime against No. 21 Arizona two weeks ago. The Lobos have Auburn’s full attention this week. 

"They went toe-to-toe with (Arizona), and they do some really, really good things, both offensively and defensively,” Freeze said. “So, it will be a good test of our character as adversity always reveals what that is, and we'll get to see that as we continue to try to build this program.”

Saturday’s game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium and will be televised on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott, Sam Acho and Taylor Davis on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Will Herring who will have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn app. 

For this week’s Homecoming game, fans are encouraged to wear navy to the game. 

THREE QUESTIONS WITH DL PHILIP BLIDI

Q: What is the key to bouncing back this week against New Mexico?

A: The key is just staying together. Staying together as a defense and as an offense, playing complimentary football and competing at practice. When you have a game like we had last week, a lot of people are motivated to come out swinging the next week. The key is for everybody to just stay together. Because we’re going to come out there and compete. We compete in every single thing we do. Whether it’s getting in the building or who gets the first water in the fridge, it doesn’t matter what it is. But really just coming in and encouraging the guys around you and bringing the guys around you up. You don’t want one loss to lose you two games. How you do that is keeping guys up around you and making sure you’re bringing guys up with you. 

Q: For the defense, that unit stepped up in the second half. What are some positive takeaways you can take from the defense’s performance vs. Cal? 

A: When we got into halftime, our coach (DJ Durkin) talked to us and kept us level-headed. He just emphasized that we’re good and we know how we can play. We’ve just got to do the things we know we can do. We’ve got to have eye discipline. We’ve got to play with effort. We’ve got to continue to keep playing because there is a lot of football left. Even if things don’t go your way, you’ve got to continue to do your job and guys continue to fly around. We weren’t playing like the game was ending. We were playing like there was a lot of football left. We played competitive, hard defense – like the game depends on us. 

Q: You’re new to Auburn. What’s been the most eye-opening thing from these first two games?

A: This stadium is electric. All the things people told me about Jordan-Hare, I felt like it was even better in person. The support was unreal. Even the first game when we were up as much as we were up, that stadium was still full. I really felt the love and support from these fans. The Tiger Walk – I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen that many fans show up for a pre-game walk like that. You just know the love here is real. The support here is real. It’s been great getting to experience that and my family getting to experience that too.

INSIDE THE SERIES: NEW MEXICO

The is the first meeting between Auburn and New Mexico on the gridiron. New Mexico is the 91st team of 133 current FBS members that Auburn has played. Of the 90 FBS teams Auburn has played previously, the Tigers have defeated 84 at least once. The only exceptions are Minnesota, Oklahoma, Rice, SMU, South Florida and Texas Tech.

Auburn holds a 6-0 record against current members of the Mountain West Conference, including previous games against Fresno State (1-0), San Jose State (3-0), Utah State (1-0) and Wyoming (1-0). All of those games were played in Auburn.

BY THE NUMBERS

19: Auburn is tied for eighth nationally and tied for second in the SEC with 19.0 tackles for loss this season. Jalen McLeod leads the way with 4.5 while Keldric Faulk, who had two sacks last Saturday, is second on the team with 4 tackles for loss. 

2003: Keldric Faulk’s two sacks Saturday against Cal came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter. The last Auburn player with sacks on consecutive plays was Reggie Torbor in 2003 against Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. Faulk, a sophomore defensive end, finished the game with a career-best eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. 

23: With at least one catch in each of his first two games at Auburn, wide receiver Robert Lewis has now caught a pass in 23 straight games, dating back through the last game of the 2021 season at Georgia State. He had two catches for 17 yards against Cal. 

43.83: With four punts for 180 yards against Cal, Oscar Chapman improved his career average to 43.83 yards per punt – good for fourth all-time at Auburn. Chapman, who is third all-time in career yardage (9,160 yards) earned weekly honors from the Ray Guy Award this week.