Auburn to get season started against Alabama A&M with new group of receivers

FILE – Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne looks to throw a pass during the first half of the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game against Maryland, Dec. 30, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

The Auburn Tigers are set to open the second season under coach Hugh Freeze. The Tigers start off a five-game home stretch against Alabama A&M.

Quarterback Payton Thorne returns as the starter but has a whole new group of receivers attempting to revive a sputtering passing game. That group is led by Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Georgia State transfer Robert Lewis and freshman Cam Coleman.

Auburn is trying to snap a string of three straight losing seasons.

Auburn doesn’t have a lot to gain from a season-opening game against an FCS team beyond finetuning execution and breaking in some new players, especially at wide receiver. The Bulldogs bank a $525,000 payday and try to stay competitive against a Southeastern Conference opponent.

KEY MATCHUP

This is a chance for Auburn QB Payton Thorne and his new receivers to show off a likely improved passing game. The Tigers averaged just 162.2 passing yards per game last season, ranking 121st of 130 FBS teams. But the new group of receivers includes Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Georgia State transfer Robert Lewis and five-star recruit Cam Coleman.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alabama A&M: RB Donovan Eaglin is a preseason first-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference pick, who ran for 765 yards last season and scored seven touchdowns.

Auburn: Coleman was the Tigers’ most prized recruit, rated as the No. 3 overall prospect by the 247Sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-3, 197-pounder also starred in the spring game and seems to have the potential to be Auburn’s first star receiver in years.

FACTS & FIGURES

Auburn has won the previous two meetings 51-7 in 2012 and 55-0 in 2016. The Tigers outrushed the Bulldogs 457-27 in the latest meeting. … Freeze hasn’t faced the Bulldogs in his 14-year head coaching career. … Auburn opens the season with five straight home games for only the fifth time. … Led by RB Jarquez Hunter, the Tigers return 91% of their rushing yardage from 2023. Liberty and Georgia Tech are the only other FBS schools returning a running back who ran for 900-plus yards and a quarterback who reached 500 yards.

Kickoff is Saturday at 6:30PM CDT on ESPN+/SEC+.