Auburn football’s game last out of conference game before the Iron Bowl normally serves as a tune up game for the Tigers.

The 2023 season changed that narrative as Diego Pavia and New Mexico State stormed into Jordan-Hare stadium and embarrassed the Tigers 31-10. Auburn could see a similar opponent to that in the Mercer Bears.

Auburn is 13-0 against Mercer dating all the way back to 1922. Here’s an early look at what you can expect from the Bears this fall:

2024 season review

Mercer finished last season with an 11-3 record, ranking it No. 1 the Southern conference. In the FCS playoffs, the Bears were eliminated in the quarterfinal by North Dakota State.

Freshman quarterback Whitt Newbauer passed for 1,398 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He led the Bears offense to averaging 31.4 points per game, ranking 30th in the country.

On defense, the bears lost its best player in Myles Redding who finished with nine interceptions and 33 solo tackles.

Mercer to headline FCS kickoff in Alabama

The 12th-ranked Mercer football team will battle 11th-ranked UC Davis on ESPN in primetime for both the FCS Kickoff and NCAA Division II Red Tails Classic in Montgomery, Alabama.

This is the Bears second time playing in this game, and UC Davis is the first California-based school to play in the FCS Kickoff.

The FCS Kickoff is scheduled for a 6 p.m. August 23 at the historic Cramton Bowl. Mercer’s game with Auburn will kick off at 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].