Alex Golesh won his Auburn coaching debut 17-16, although the defense had to stop Baylor’s final two-point try to preserve it. A most exciting win indeed! But, after what I watched, I imagine Golesh’s time spent reviewing the offensive film required considerably more patience than celebrating the result offered him relief. Auburn ran 24 third-quarter plays, crossed midfield on all three possessions, and scored zero points. Southern Miss, coming off a whopper of a 49-3 win over—less impressive—Alcorn State, now visits for the home opener. Below is my preview, prediction, and pick for today’s college football game between the Auburn Tigers and the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.
Here’s how I’ll play it. I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.
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Auburn vs. Southern Miss prediction, preview
Auburn’s Byrum Brown knows Golesh’s offense from their days at USF; sparing his coach the fury of giving away the ball has, as of yet, been another conversation entirely. Brown completed 26 of 35 passes (74.3%) against Baylor while throwing three interceptions, one at the Bears’ 18 before halftime. All five starting linemen made their first Auburn starts. Among the offense’s 11 starters, only Jeremiah Cobb had previously started for the Tigers. I expect improvement, with some allowance for another awkward possession or two.
Another interception would certainly interest Kobi Albert, who collected three against Alcorn. Southern Miss took the ball away five times, continuing a habit that yielded 23 interceptions last season. Impressive, until I remember how often opponents sustained drives between those takeaways: 44.7% third-down conversions, touchdowns on 68% of red-zone visits, etc. Which is to say: Southern Miss will most certainly have to answer some touchdowns.
Five of Southern Miss’s seven touchdown drives last weekend covered at least 70 yards, including a yawning 97-yarder. That encourages me considerably more than the prospect of Albert spending another afternoon snatching opponent passes and generating short fields for his offense. Steven Robinson ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns; Jamarice Wilder added 90 and two scores. Auburn will tackle better the Golden Eagles far than Alcorn, but Robinson and Wilder at least give the visitors two backs who have already sustained lengthy possessions, and will force contact all the same.
Southern Miss vs. Auburn pick, best bet
Ethan Hampton, Southern Miss’s quarterback, could use help churning out few of those before Auburn starts putting him in difficult pass-only situations. He completed only 56.5% of his attempts against Alcorn, and that came after missing seven of his first 12 attempts. Mario Sanders caught six of those passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Hampton famously quarterbacked Northern Illinois’ win at Notre Dame in 2024. He can create offense with not much room; we’ve seen it. Give him manageable third downs, though, and I trust him to convert enough to start actually scoring.
So I’m taking Southern Miss +33.5 (-110), with Auburn winning 41-17. I expect Robinson and Wilder to earn enough first downs on the ground for Hampton to contribute some points before the game turns into the Tigers running out the clock.
Best bet: Southern Miss +33.5 (-110)
Projected score: Auburn 41, Southern Miss 17
Best Bet: Southern Miss +33.5 (-110) at Auburn
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