After a stressful opening week in Atlanta, Auburn gets its first chance to play in front of the home crowd Saturday when Southern Miss comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

The Tigers escaped Baylor with a 17-16 victory last week, but the win came with plenty to clean up. 

Auburn turned the ball over three times, struggled to consistently protect Byrum Brown and committed six penalties for 47 yards. The Tigers also left opportunities on the field offensively. 

The good news is that Week 2 provides an opportunity to fix those problems. 

Southern Miss is coming off a completely different kind of opening week. The Golden Eagles dominated Alcorn State 49-3 in Blake Anderson’s first game as head coach, finishing with 543 total yards and forcing five turnovers. 

Steven Robinson led Southern Miss with 123 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, while Jamarice Wilder added 90 yards and two touchdowns. Ethan Hampton threw for 180 yards and a touchdown, and Kobi Albert intercepted three passes in his Southern Miss debut. 

Auburn is a much different test than Alcorn State, but Southern Miss showed enough in its opener to deserve attention. 

Here are five things the Tigers need to do better Saturday. 

Better offensive line play 

This is easily at the top of the list. 

The offensive line struggled against Baylor, especially when the Bears brought pressure and used different stunts and switches up front. 

That cannot become a trend. 

Auburn’s offensive line needs to dominate the line of scrimmage against Southern Miss. 

The Tigers should have an advantage up front, and that needs to show from the opening whistle. Auburn needs to establish the run, give Brown clean pockets and make Southern Miss deal with the offensive line throughout the game. 

This is a good opportunity for that group to build confidence before the schedule gets tougher. 

Take care of the football 

Auburn cannot afford another game with three turnovers. 

This goes beyond simply avoiding interceptions. Brown also needs to make quicker decisions when a play isn’t there. 

Against Baylor, there were times when Brown stayed in the pocket too long instead of getting rid of the ball or taking off and using his legs. 

That needs to change. 

Brown is at his best when he can make plays with both his arm and his legs. If the first read isn’t there, getting the ball out quicker or taking off before the pressure arrives can prevent negative plays and unnecessary risks. 

Southern Miss forced five turnovers last week. Auburn cannot give the Golden Eagles extra opportunities. 

Run the football better 

Auburn’s rushing attack needs to be more consistent. 

The Tigers have a talented running back room, and all three of Auburn’s primary backs should see more opportunities Saturday. 

This is where better offensive line play should help. 

If Auburn establishes the run early, it will take pressure off Brown and force Southern Miss to bring more defenders into the box. It also gives Alex Golesh more options to work with offensively. 

Auburn doesn’t need to throw the ball 40 times. 

The Tigers need to control the game on the ground. 

Clean up the penalties 

Six penalties for 47 yards is too many. 

Some penalties are going to happen, especially early in a new season, but Auburn has to eliminate the avoidable ones. 

Against Baylor, penalties repeatedly put the Tigers behind schedule and made an already difficult offensive night even harder. 

That is something Auburn should be able to fix. 

The Tigers have a chance to control this game physically, but they cannot keep giving Southern Miss free yards. 

Finish drives 

This could be the biggest difference between Auburn winning comfortably and making this another stressful game. 

The Tigers have to turn opportunities into points. 

Auburn moved the football at times against Baylor but couldn’t always finish those drives. Whether that means getting into the end zone, avoiding turnovers in scoring territory or simply executing better when the field gets shorter, Auburn needs to come away with points. 

Southern Miss showed last week that its defense can create turnovers. Auburn cannot afford to waste scoring opportunities or give the Golden Eagles short fields. 

My prediction 

Southern Miss deserves credit for what it did in Week 1. 

The Golden Eagles were physical against Alcorn State, ran the football extremely well and created turnovers on defense. Robinson and Wilder give Southern Miss a rushing attack Auburn will need to respect, while Albert showed how quickly the defense can change a game. 

But this is a major jump in competition. 

Auburn has more talent across the roster, and after nearly letting Baylor steal the opener, the Tigers should play with more urgency in their first home game of the season. 

Brown should look more comfortable in his second start. The offensive line should respond, the Tigers should run the football better and, most importantly, Auburn should take care of the ball. 

Southern Miss will have its moments, especially if Robinson and the Golden Eagles’ rushing attack can find some success. 

But Auburn should eventually take control. 

The Tigers have too much talent and too much to prove after Week 1 to let another game come down to the final minutes. 

Final prediction: Auburn 42, Southern Miss 13.