The No. 24 Auburn Tigers host the South Alabama Jaguars on Saturday, their final opportunity to work things out before SEC play begins the following week.

Auburn comes into this contest as a heavy favorite, a 24.5-point favorite to be exact according to ESPN Sportsbook. That doesn't mean this is a contest the Tigers can overlook, as the Jaguars can be an offensive threat.

South Alabama fell 33-31 at the hands of Tulane last week, providing it with extra motivation to go into Jordan-Hare Stadium and pull off an upset.

To avoid falling at the hands of a mid-major opponent for the second time in three years, here are three things Auburn needs to do against South Alabama:

Keep Bishop Davenport in check

South Alabama's junior quarterback has gotten off to a solid start in his second year with the program.

Davenport completed 12 of his 14 passes in the Jaguars's season-opening win over Morgan State and went 17-of-24 through the air for 231 yards and two touchdowns against Tulane.

He put his ability to use his legs on display last week as well, accounting for 63 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Dual-threat quarterbacks always present a challenge, and Auburn's front seven will likely be in for a workout as a result. It contained Ball State's Kial Kelly, however, so it could come out even more prepared for the challenge.

Make Davenport find a target other than Devin Voisin

The senior wide reciever has been dominant for the Jaguars so far this season, as he has accounted for more recieving yards, 221, than the rest of the team combined, 184. He has also caught three touchdown passes to the combined one of the rest of the unit.

If Auburn can manage to keep Davenport in the pocket and make him look for places to put the ball other than Voisin's hands, its defense should have no problem putting together a performance similar to the one it had against Ball State.

If Voisin is able to make an impact, South Alabama's chances of giving Auburn a contest increase. 

Avoid relying on field goals

Auburn is going into this contest with some uncertainty surrounding its special teams unit. With Alex McPherson not back to 100 percent, the Tigers are without a proven option when it comes to longer field goal attempts.

Head coach Hugh Freeze confirmed that McPherson is still able to handle shorter kicks, but the first long attempt on Saturday will go to Connor Gibbs, who transferred from Southern Miss.

Gibbs went 10-of-13 on field goal attempts with a long of 59-yards last season, so the Tigers could have a solution to their long field goal situation soon, but that is not an assumption that can be made just yet.

Failing to finish drives by putting the ball in the end zone and having to attempt long field goals could cause Auburn to be in a closer contest than it would like.

Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. CT and SEC Network will carry the broadcast.