Auburn Tigers

No. 16 Auburn hosts in-state FCS team Samford

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:35 p.m. ET

Samford (5-6) at No. 16 Auburn (7-3, No. 15 CFP), Saturday at 12 p.m. EST (SEC Network).

Line: N/A.

Series record: Auburn leads 27-0-1.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The Tigers hope to get the offense going before closing the regular season against No. 5 Alabama. Samford would love to pull off a huge upset against one of an in-state Southeastern Conference team.

KEY MATCHUP

Auburn’s defense against Samford’s offense. The Tigers have one of the SEC’s top defenses, led by tackle Derrick Brown and end Marlon Davidson. Samford leads the Southern Conference with an average of 35.2 points per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Samford: QB Chris Oladokun has passed for 2,064 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has also run for 488 yards and eight scores.

Auburn: RB JaTarvious Whitlow returned from a knee injury against Georgia, but was held to 23 yards on 11 carries. The Tigers need him to get going to get a running game back on track.

FACTS & FIGURES

The only tie in the series came in 1927, with a 9-9 game at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field. The Bulldogs have a similar record against Auburn’s SEC rival Alabama, at 0-20-1. Samford is 2-77-3 against current SEC members with Auburn being the most-played of those opponents. ... Samford is 2-4 in games away from home this season. ... Auburn co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Kodi Burns got his first full-time coaching job at Samford, coaching the Bulldogs’ running backs in 2014.

Get more from Auburn Tigers Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic