We're taking an early look at Auburn's opponents for the 2018 regular season. This 12-part series will feature analysis and occasional insight from beat reporters who cover the teams Auburn will play this year.
Southern Miss
Game date & time: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Sept. 29
2017 record: (8-5, 6-2 C-USA)
Coach: Jay Hopson, third year (15-11)
Betting line: Not yet posted
Returning starters: 9 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialists
Most important returning players: QB Kwadra Griggs, LB Racheem Boothe
Most critical departures: RB Ito Smith, WR Korey Robertson, DB Tarvarius Moore
Insight from Southern Miss beat reporter Patrick Magee (@Patrick_Magee):
- What are the expectations of Kwadra Griggs for his senior season?
Early scouting reports: Washington | Alabama State | LSU | Arkansas | Southern Miss | Mississippi State | Tennessee | Ole Miss | Texas A&M | Georgia | Liberty | Alabama
Auburn storylines:
- Offensive identity
- End of homestand
- Another chance for redshirts to contribute
- Trap game
- Chip Lindsey against his former team
Southern Miss storylines:
- First big test
- Progress of Kwadra Griggs
- Homecoming for Darian Yancey
An Auburn win would mean:
Notching another expected win and hopefully doing so without injury before the first road trip of the season. The Tigers should leave this game no worse than 3-2 but could be 4-1 or 5-0 as well.
An Auburn loss would mean:
Let's start by saying that even though Southern Miss will be competitive in C-USA, this is incredibly unlikely. However, because the Golden Eagles are going to be a respectable opponent we'll entertain the notion for the sake of argument and say it would be a devastating loss to team trying to compete for an SEC title.
James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.