Auburn getting ready to face Memphis in Birmingham Bowl

Although the two teams’ defenses have produced at a similar clip, the Rams rank No. 64 in offense to the Wolf Pack’s No. 96 in Football Outsiders’ S&P ratings. Jeremy Johnson was at the helm for Auburn and while he wasn’t spectacular (10-for-23, 170 yards, TD), he didn’t turn the ball over, giving the Tigers a chance. Cassanova McKinzy leads Auburn in tackles for lost yardage with 10.

Perhaps no team this side of Columbus, Ohio, came into the season with more buzz than Auburn. Auburn was 2-3 in the games White started and 4-3 in the games that Johnson occupied the role.

Auburn has given up 232.2 passing yards per game this season, which ranks them 74th nationally out of 128 teams.

Lynch may not face much resistance from an Auburn defense, whose coordinator, Will Muschamp, is gone and whose star player may lack sufficient motivation.

Sam: This is basically an Auburn home game and the spread (Auburn -3) seems to reflect that, but I think Memphis is the better team. Temple showed that the best way to slow Memphis down was disrupting their pass blocking schemes.

A lot will be on the line for Auburn in a stadium they have a lot of history with. He won’t replicate that against Auburn, but with Auburn’s shaky pass rush, he should have time to find receivers.

The Tigers open with ACC champ and College Football Playoff participant Clemson in Auburn on Sept. 3, host Texas A&M and LSU later in September and have the typically daunting draw of Georgia and Alabama-both on the road-in November. During the same period Auburn is 16-0 in bowl games when it holds opponents to under 140 yards rushing. In all, 12 different Memphis players caught touchdown passes.

Total: Memphis does it with offense.

Well, except the small matter of naming a starting quarterback. The Tigers started their 2015 campaign on an eight-game winning streak, but crashed back to Earth losing three of their last four. The average score during those 18 games was 32-22.

Will weather impact the game? Auburn is No. 38 in touchdown percentage allowed inside the red zone and Memphis is No. 75.

Only the best hotel with adjoining Sears will do for Gus Malzahn’s courageous warriors of the gridiron on such an important bowl trip.

“I’ve played a lot of great players and great quarterbacks”, Auburn linebacker Kris Frost said. This includes a scoring percentage of 37.2 and a touchdown on 19.6 percent of his possessions. They have solid yards per carry averages, but they are not hitting the homeruns that are a staple of Malzahn offenses. Auburn scored on 39.6 percent of White’s possessions and scored a touchdown on 18.9 percent of his possessions.

Auburn is trying to avoid finishing with a losing record two years after making the national championship game. The Wolf Pack have also spent the lead-in to the game complaining about not having to play an in-conference game instead of getting selected to go to the Cure Bowl in Orlando.

“As far as our defensive coordinator search, it’s going very well”, Malzahn said Sunday.

North Carolina running back Elijah Hood (34) plays in an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, in Pittsburgh. Memphis, of the AAC, can reach double-digit wins and is shooting for a second victory over a Southeastern Conference team this season….

“We get to play another SEC West team”, said Memphis fan Jim Crisler.