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Auburn Football: 3 keys to victory vs. Oregon in Week 1

By Shelbie Warr

AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 2: Defensive lineman Marlon Davidson #3 and linebacker Jeff Holland #4 of the Auburn Tigers celebrate after sacking quarterback Shai Werts #4 of the Georgia Southern Eagles during the second half of an NCAA college football game at Jordan Hare Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 2: Defensive lineman Marlon Davidson #3 and linebacker Jeff Holland #4 of the Auburn Tigers celebrate after sacking quarterback Shai Werts #4 of the Georgia Southern Eagles during the second half of an NCAA college football game at Jordan Hare Stadium on Saturday, September 2, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
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In the marquee matchup of the week, Auburn football takes on Oregon looking for a big win to open a defining season. What are the keys to victory?

Auburn desperately needs a strong season as its head coach Gus Malzahn is sitting on the hot seat — again. A year ago, the Tigers finished fifth in the SEC West with an 8-5 record. Is that extremely bad? No, but it isn’t good enough for a program like Auburn that is expecting to compete for the conference title year in and year out.

Now, they open their season with one of the top teams in the Pac-12, the Oregon Ducks. What are the keys to victory for the Tigers?

3. Quarterback play has to match up with Oregon

Auburn is back at square one when it comes to quarterback, starting true freshman Bo Nix.

At the high school level, he recorded over 12,000 total offensive yards and 161 touchdowns. He clearly has the talent to be able to put together a strong game and an overall strong season, but first he has to face off with the talent and experience of Justin Herbert, the senior quarterback for the Oregon Ducks.

In his three years at Oregon, Herbert has put together over 7,000 passing yards and 63 touchdowns to just 17 interceptions.

Overall, he’s a strong quarterback and a great leader for his team. Now, it’s up to Nix to step up and stand tall in this spot against Herbert. It doesn’t help that Oregon’s defense is full of experience with veterans that know exactly what they are doing.

Good luck to Nix because his play will be integral in this one.

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