Pre-game analysis: Can Auburn throw it, block, shake off Atlanta losses?

The ninth-ranked Auburn football team will have to be on its game to beat No. 6 Washington on Saturday in Atlanta.

You know that. I know that. Everyone knows that.

But the same thing holds true for the Huskies.

This feels like the type of game that could turn in one team’s favor with a turnover, a special teams play or an untimely penalty.

Each week before Auburn plays, we’ll give you three brutally honest points to consider before the Tigers take the field.

1. Yes, Auburn can throw against Washington

The Huskies are talented and experienced in the secondary. Safety Taylor Rapp is a preseason first-team All-American. Cornerback Bryon Murphy is a second-team preseason All-American. Jojo McIntosh (safety) and Jordan Miller (CB) are both seniors and the other starters in the secondary. Expect Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham to test them.

I’ve read that Auburn will have to resort to dink-and-dunk pass plays. Yes, the Tigers will do that with quick-hitters to Ryan Davis, but for this passing game to be at its best, Stidham — a very accurate downfield passer — has to hit some long passes. We know Darius Slayton can get behind defenses. Auburn will need someone else to step up as a threat Saturday. Nate Craig-Myers is the obvious option. Maybe Sal Cannella. Both are physical mismatches. Don’t be surprised if the freshmen receivers make big plays. If Anthony Schwartz checks into the game, he has to be accounted for, whether or not Auburn intends to get him the ball.

Last season, opponents averaged 197.2 passing yards per game against the Huskies. In their three losses, they allowed 245 (Arizona State), 211 (Stanford) and 342 (Penn State).

Stidham struggled in Auburn’s four losses. Something has to give Saturday.

2. Offensive line anxiety

After what happened in Week 2 last season against Clemson, it’s natural to be uneasy about the offensive line. Clemson sacked Stidham 11 times and the offense was a nightmare to watch. But Stidham grew from that experience. He became better at seeing the rush and getting rid of the ball instead of taking sacks.

Auburn has three new starters on the line this season, if you count Prince Tega Wanogho and Mike Horton as returning starters since they both started seven games in 2017. Right tackle Jack Driscoll, the transfer from UMass, owns 20 starts in two seasons.

But you know what makes me feel best about this offensive line?

It’s that redshirt freshman Calvin Ashley isn’t starting. Yes, you read that right.

Ashley arrived at Auburn in the 2017 class with fantastic credentials: 5-star rating, No. 26 player overall, sixth-best offensive tackle. Coaches talked about his potential. He impressed during bowl practices last season.

At 6-6, 322 pounds, he could play either tackle spot. But Wanogho and Driscoll earned their spots. So Ashley shifted to guard where Horton and Marquel Harrell earned their spots. It’s not like Ashley has regressed. This isn’t a Byron Cowart situation.

J.B. Grimes said this about him: “He’s still a young guy. You don’t just throw an offensive lineman into the grease and pull him out like you do a piece of fried catfish. You’ve got to put him in the oven. You’ve got to bake him awhile. And then you pull him out.”

If Auburn was that worried about where it stood on the offensive line, Ashley would be in the lineup.

3. Two consecutive losses in Atlanta

On one side you have talk of a home-field advantage that Auburn has over Washington because of its proximity to Atlanta. Valid.

On the other hand, you have talk of Auburn losing its last two games of the 2017 season in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and whether or not playing there is a good thing for the Tigers. Also valid.

To the first point, yes, it should be an advantage for Auburn. The stadium should be at least 70 percent orange and blue. If noise is going to be a factor, it should favor Auburn.

To the second point, let’s look at those two games from last season.

Game 1: In a rematch with Georgia, Auburn lost the SEC Championship Game, 28-7. In the first game between the two in Auburn, the Tigers won, 40-14, and Kerryon Johnson ran 32 times for 167 yards. In the rematch, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year clearly was not himself nursing an injury and the Bulldogs took the run game away from Auburn. Johnson gained 44 yards on 13 carries. Not having their No. 1 weapon hurt the Tigers, who trailed by six points entering the fourth quarter.

Game 2: Against UCF in the Peach Bowl, Johnson still wasn’t 100 percent and, let’s be honest, what was in it for Auburn? I know. I hate using that excuse, that a team can’t get up for a football game because it means less than another game could have been. In this case, if Auburn had beaten Georgia for the SEC title, it would have played in the College Football Playoff instead of the consolation Peach Bowl. UCF had everything to gain (evidently including a national title). Auburn was flat and star cornerback Carlton Davis was sent home days before the game.

Ask most Auburn fans and they’ll tell you they never had a good feeling about that one. The bottom line is this: Both those games are history. This is a different team and this is a different situation.

The game Saturday is different. Auburn has everything to gain with a victory.