Auburn Tigers running back Omar Mabson II will be getting an extended look in front of his hometown crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday against the 1-1 South Alabama Jaguars.
As Auburn Undercover's Jason Caldwell noted, Durell Robinson's dicey injury situation, coupled with Damari Alston's uncertainty, will open the door for the former Auburn High School product to get an extended look in Week 3.
"With at least one of the running backs down and potentially without two of your top three guys, it likely means more work for true freshman Omar Mabson. An early high school graduate from Auburn, he got his first career work last Saturday and had four carries for 25 yards. Freeze said the next step will be to handle everything else that comes along with playing the position," Caldwell wrote.
Caldwell made it clear that Mabson won't be RB1, at least not out of the gate. Jeremiah Cobb, a Montgomery Catholic product, will be instead.
"With no Robinson and potentially no Alston, the first option for the Tigers at running back is going to be Jeremiah Cobb. Currently one of the top rushers in the Southeastern Conference with 27 carries for 195 yards and three touchdowns, Cobb continues to show that he's ready to become a bigger part of things for the Auburn offense," Caldwell wrote.
Auburn's offensive attack revolves around the running game. Jackson Arnold has proven to be a weapon from broken plays, while Deuce Knight showed he can be a dual-threat himself in garbage time against the Ball State Cardinals.
Without the strength in numbers in the RB room against the Jaguars, Cobb and Mabson have a chance to climb the pecking order on the Plains. Hugh Freeze, Derrick Nix, and Kent Austin aren't likely to stray from their platoon strategy, but they can at least put those two in more positions to do damage.
USA just took the Tulane Green Wave to the brink in a close 33-31 loss this past Saturday. They won't be a pushover, but they're a better opponent to test things against than the Oklahoma Sooners on the road the following week.