3 questions for Auburn football before their showdown with Louisiana-Monroe

In order for Auburn football to be eligible for a bowl game the Tigers must win its final three games. That bowl chase starts Saturday with the matchup against ULM.

This will be the 12th time these two programs faceoff dating back all the way to 1994. Auburn has won all of the 11 previous games with the closet victory coming in a 31-28 overtime win in 2012.

Here's three questions for the Tigers as they host ULM to keep its season alive:

Who will start under center for the Tigers? Payton Thorne suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder against Vanderbilt, preventing him from practicing during Auburn's bye week.

Thorne practiced this week. However, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze says Thorne was not as ready as he expected him to be for Saturday's game.

"Not as far along as I'd hoped, with the shoulder," Freeze said during the SEC coaches teleconference. "He thinks he's going to be fine, but he was not ready to play yesterday, for sure."

Thorne, who hasn't missed a game in his career, is confident in his abilities to play this week. But Freeze and his staff have already considered the option for a possible switch.

"It's certainly not an indication that I don't think [Thorne] is playing pretty solid here," Freeze said Monday. "But you just start kind of thinking big picture. And that's not always the easiest thing to do because you love your players, and you want what's best for all of them and what gives us the best chance to win the remaining three games."

Auburn's backup options at quarterback are Hank Brown, Holden Greiner and true freshman Walker White.

Brown started two games this season for the Tigers finishing with 403 yards and six touchdowns. His three first half interceptions against Arkansas were the last time he saw in-game action.

There's also lot of optimism behind White getting his first collegiate start as Thorne praised him on the growth he's seen from the freshman.

"He was slinging it around. Nothing that I haven't seen him do before," Thorne said Tuesday. "He did a really good job. Then getting to see him play in a live scrimmage setting, it was fun to see."

Can Auburn's defense create turnover Opportunities? According to the scouting report, The Warhawks average 21.6 points and 300.8 yards per game, totals that rank 112th and 126th respectively out of 133 teams in the FBS.

Linebacker Dorian Mausi emphasized the importance of getting more turnovers to help take the pressure off the offense.

"We had two bye weeks, so we split the season in three different sections. Right now, we need to create more turnovers," Mausi said.

Auburn ranks 17th nationally allowing just 109.0 rushing yards per game. The Tigers have held three straight opponents to under 50% passing for the first time since 2018. Not to mention, they are ranked tenth in red zone defense (0.704)

Sophomore Aidan Armenta has started ULM's last five games at quarterback, replacing transfer General Booty. For the season, he has 898 passing yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions.

What does a lost to ULM mean? Auburn is going into the game with a 92.6% chance to win, according to ESPN's Football Power Index. So, a lost may not sit well anyone associated to the program.

Last season, Auburn lost 31-10 to a Group of Five team in New Mexico State. To this day that still ranks as one of the worst losses in school history.

Falling short to ULM will not only end the Tigers season but it could lead to an offseason full of change.