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Auburn has a relatively easy start to the college football season that continues Saturday night as the Tigers take on the San Jose State Spartans at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers moved to 1-0 last weekend with a 42-16 victory over Mercer in the first of five straight home games to begin the season. Auburn deployed a two quarterback approach, utilizing both TJ Finley and Robby Ashford. Finley threw nine completions for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Ashford’s four completions went for 100 yards. The Tigers relied heavily on Tank Bigsby in the backfield, as the running back accumulated 147 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Ja’Varrius Johnson paced Auburn on the receiving end racking up 117 yards on four receptions.
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San Jose State is also riding a week one win, having defeated the Big Sky Conference’s Portland State 21-17 on a last-minute rushing touchdown by quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. Cordiero completed 15 of his 30 passes for 239 yards. Cordiero transferred to San Jose State after spending four seasons at Hawaii and throwing for 6,167 yards over his tenure. His top target was Elijah Cooks, whose six catches and 123 yards led the Spartans.
Harsin prepares for Week 2
Auburn’s second-year head coach Bryan Harsin is familiar with opponents from the Mountain West Conference, as he previously served as the head coach of Boise State from 2014-20 before joining Auburn in 2021. Harsin’s decision to use both Finley and Ashford interchangeably at the quarterback position is based on his philosophy.
Defensively for Auburn, they will look for another big game from linebacker Cam Riley, who recorded a career-high 16 tackles last weekend. Harsin praised the junior and wants him to take his game to the next level.
This will be the third meeting all-time between Auburn and San Jose State. The Tigers were victorious in both previous meetings at Jordan-Hare Stadium, outscoring the Spartans 94-34. Auburn’s schedule will soon have the heat turned up as they will have three straight home games against Penn State, Missouri and LSU.
