The sun hasn't risen yet as Kaelan Riley watches the projection screen in Mercer's quarterback room from his seat at the front left corner of the conference table.

It's 7 a.m. Wednesday and the Bears have been in the Drake Field House for over an hour, with position meetings beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Riley, a redshirt freshman, is preparing for the third game of his college career on what will be the biggest stage of his life.

The Calhoun, Ga. native is days from leading Mercer, which relaunched its football program in 2013, into Jordan-Hare Stadium against No. 15 Auburn and its vaunted defense. He's watching game film of Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield and Kelly Bryant to prepare for the Tigers.

The 6-foot-3, 222-pound Riley led Calhoun High School to the 2014 Georgia 3A state championship at the Georgia Dome and he may prove to be "the FCS version of Cam Newton," as Mercer quarterback coach Tre Lamb tells an observer during Wednesday's practice, but he's never been in front of 87,000 people.

"The thing that Kaelan's got to do, and we talked to him about it earlier in the week is, he's got to look at this game from a standpoint of Xs and Os instead of saying 'God did you see what Baker Mayfield just did,'" Mercer coach Bobby Lamb says. "Because Baker Mayfield was pretty phenomenal in that (Sugar Bowl) game. I'm sure being a young redshirt-freshman, he's looking at those guys and saying, 'Holy cow how did he just make that play and how am I going to make that play?' It's a mind game and it's a game that he's going to have to play within himself."

Riley is far from alone. Few members of Mercer's football team had any consideration from FBS programs, let alone those in the SEC, but in less than 72 hours they'll be boarding a bus from Macon, Ga. and heading to Auburn for the first half of the "Iron Bowl schedule."

Mercer, which had no football team from 1942 through 2012, has helped "a renaissance" in Macon over the past five years coinciding with the return of the football program, according to athletic director Jim Cole, and there's evidence around town from the newly built housing across the street from Mercer's athletics complex to a large plot of land not far up the road that's been cleared for more development.

After scheduling Auburn back in Dec. 2014, Mercer added a matchup with Alabama the week before the Iron Bowl, after the Bears are through with Southern Conference play.

"Obviously, our players, they're not dumb, they know we're facing a monumental task in going over to play Auburn," Bobby Lamb says. "But I think as a young man that's kind of what you dream about: playing in the SEC and being able to play on that stage and this is their shot. Fortunately for them, they get two shots in one year."

Playing Alabama was an opportunity Cole called "icing on the cake" and not financially necessary for Mercer, which is best known athletically for its upset of Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, but neither the athletic director nor head coach denies the economic benefits of playing two SEC teams in a season.

"My philosophy in playing these games is starting out we'd love to play in the ACC or SEC team within driving distance where you don't have to spend your money on flights," Bobby Lamb says. "There's not a whole lot of places you can go in the country to work for three hours and make $450,000. This is certainly a big boost for our university financially as well."

***

Mercer must go through film study and practice during a week when much of central Georgia was affected by Hurricane Irma.

Bobby Lamb was without power for several days last week and joked about working by candlelight at home and showering at the facility out of necessity.

Several of Mercer's teams are well into practice, meetings, treatments or film study before 6 a.m.

The women's soccer team is on the field at Five Star Stadium, the men's lacrosse team is meeting in the same large room the football team will use for a special teams meeting an hour later.

Three doors down the hallway defensive line coach Kenny Baker cues up film from Auburn's game against Clemson.

"I don't care if we're playing Auburn, we're playing LSU, I don't care if we're playing the damn Falcons," Baker says. "Don't think. You're prepared, you know what to do. Play fast, play physical."

How Auburn's offensive line, which is coming off allowing 11 sacks, plays on third down situations is the focus in the meeting room Wednesday morning and Baker is amped up as he's talking to his players.

If motion creates emotion, Baker is on his way to having his own emoji.

"Especially in 10 personnel, anything third-and-five, we got to play it out and tend to study it," he says. "It's pass. It's green light. Why not? Scared money don't make no money. Let's go. Why not?"

Auburn right guard Braden Smith is the focus of Baker's attention during this lesson.

In reviewing Auburn's third-and-five from the Clemson 6-yard line on the opening play of the second quarter, which ended with Jarrett Stidham sacked by Christian Wilkins, Baker is pointing out how Smith is "top heavy" on the play.

"What I tell you about 71? He's going to lunge," Baker says. "At the moment of truth at contact, he's going to shut down his feet, he wants to put those big long paws on you and he wants to stop your charge. No different than what we saw out there. ... You got to be salivating. That (Wilkins) ought to be you on Saturday. That ought to be you."

If a mistake in technique from the preseason All-American draws so much attention, what Baker was able to identify as opportunities against Auburn tackles Prince Tega Wanogho and Darius James based on the Clemson game could be vast.

The leader of Mercer's defensive line room is Isaiah Buehler, a redshirt-junior who was teammates with Auburn H-back Chandler Cox and Florida offensive lineman Martez Ivey at Apopka High School.

Facing both Auburn and Alabama's offensive lines is not as intimidating to Buehler as it might be to some of his teammates.

"At first you get all those text messages from your buddies talking about y'all are going to get smacked and all that," Buehler says. "Then you really think about it, you get a chance to go against two of the best teams in the country. We understand, we're the FCS but it's not something that we look down on ourselves and we're negative about ourselves. It's just that's the nature of the beast."

***

Down the hall, the offensive line opens Wednesday morning by reviewing film of Tuesday's practice.

"Vertical push has got to be there," offensive line coach Casey Vogt says. "Who wants the yards more: us or them?"

The rhetorical question doesn't draw any responses, nor is it meant to.

The first-team offensive line gets a positive review but the second-team gets an earful for its lack of communication.

"We got to get everybody on the same page," Vogt says before yelling "Express!" loud enough to reverberate around the room, stressing how he wants calls made on the field in what will be the loudest road setting Mercer has played in.

"I watched the Auburn-Clemson game and I'm like, these are the two best defensive lines in the country, and that might be a true statement," Bobby Lamb says. "It's hard to simulate. You can't just put 12 out there. Obviously, you got to create some plays that will help ya. You can't leave your (offensive) linemen in 1-on-1 pass situations on third-and-15."

Left tackle Thomas Marchman has played against good FCS competition in his first three seasons at Mercer but the senior recognized Jeff Holland, Paul James III, Nick Coe and a litany of other Auburn defensive linemen will pose an enormous challenge.

"They are really big and fast and athletic and they'll be the biggest, fastest and most athletic team we'll play this year probably, on defense," Marchman says. "You can let it get to you. But at the end of the day, it's about leverage."

***

At the other end of the building, the tone in the quarterback room is just as analytical, but Tre Lamb is pointed in his guidance to his young signal caller.

"Our best chance to win is on the perimeter," Tre Lamb says. "They're going to be a lot better than us on the interior right here. These five guys are going to be better than our five. ... These guys are going to be in wide 5s, wide 9s, they're up-the-field pass rushers. We're not going to be able to handle those guys at tackle, we got to get the ball off, we got to help them."

The message to Riley is clear but difficult nonetheless: Get the ball out quickly to avoid Auburn's pass rush but also don't put it in jeopardy.

"We end every drive in a kick, especially against these big schools," Tre Lamb says. "I don't care if it's an extra point or a punt, we end every drive with a kick."

The message is being absorbed by Riley, whose eyes rarely deviate from the screen. If Mercer is going to stand any chance of being competitive, Riley has to display the seven "qualities of a quarterback" outlined on the wall of the meeting room: leadership, dedication, desire, confidence, character, student and mental toughness.

"I had a really good offensive line in high school and I got a really good offensive line now so the most I've ever been sacked is probably one or two times," Riley says. "I've had really good protection over my football career. The line's going to do their part, they're going to do a great job and I'm going to do my part. I'm not going to hold onto the ball too long, try to get rid of it, get it out of my hand as quick as possible. Try to avoid all sacks, any and all sacks. ...

"I'm a bigger guy, I think I move pretty decent for my size, try to be coachable, I try to know what's going to happen before it happens."

In reviewing film of last year's Iron Bowl, Tre Lamb points several execution errors by Alabama that provides both a useful study guide and moments of levity.

"Come on Jalen Hurts you can't miss that," he says. "That's a touchdown. ... Think Calvin Ridley's pretty good too."

But the emphasis is on Auburn's defense, its coverages and at times its linemen.

The departures of Montravius Adams and Carl Lawson haven't made Auburn's front any less daunting thus far, but when their highlights are still on tape it shows Riley what he's avoiding.

"Glad (Adams) is gone too. Numero uno," Tre Lamb says while watching a clip from the Iron Bowl in which the eventual third-round NFL draft pick dominates the center. "That should be child abuse. That's a man."

The quarterbacks coach is convinced Auburn will play a lot of cover 1, particularly on third-and-medium and third-and-long.

Tre Lamb pulls up clips from the Sugar Bowl, Georgia Southern and of most relevance, the Clemson game, to show Riley what he needs to do for Mercer to move the chains against Auburn.

"(The safety is) going to cover my ground than what we're used to because of his depth and because of his athleticism. We have got to use our eyes," he tells the room. "Watch the (Georgia Southern quarterback Shai Werts), he does not look the safety off. You see it? He's staring at him. That cannot happen. We've got to use our eyes, you got me?"

Riley answers, "Yes sir."

The Clemson clip of the third-and-four pass from Bryant to Deon Cain that drew a pass interference penalty against Carlton Davis is another example.

"(Bryant) is not holding the ball forever right? Look at his footwork, 1-2-3," Tre Lamb says. "Look the safety off right there, back shoulder. Give our guy a chance. We can win that matchup. Give your guy a chance. PI. ... Use your feet. You're an athletic guy, move around."

Then a dose of reality before reviewing Mercer's plans for inside the red zone.

"Not a good sign when we don't have any cutups in the red zone," Tre Lamb says. "That means it's a good defense."

The group breaks before heading to practice and the onus after that will be on Riley and the other quarterbacks to study film mostly on their own.

Thursday's meetings and practice will include installing some trick plays.

"Got to get on Sportscenter," Tre Lamb says before his meeting room adjourns.

***

The scoreboard at Anderson Field states the weekly objective succinctly: Beat Auburn.

Special teams work precedes an early period of the first-team offense going against the first-team defense and the second teams follow. Music is playing the whole time in the background on what is a picturesque morning in Macon, complete with a couple walking their dog along the sidewalk just beyond the field as the Bears practice.

Even in a game week where most everyone recognizes the expected outcome, competition at practice isn't slowing down. During a one-on-one drill between receivers and defensive backs, two Bears players get in a spirited exchange about a hold by the defender.

"That's two days in a row," the receiver repeatedly shouts on his way back to the line. He later calls out his teammate to go at it again, but another defensive back steps in and wins the rep. The first player barking immediately is the first defensive back.

Redshirt-junior linebacker LeMarkus Bailey is just 5-foot-11 and 201 pounds, the size of SEC defensive backs. If Mercer is going to contain 235-pound Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway on a consistent basis, it's going to be largely up to Bailey, who had a team-high 13 tackles with 2.5 for loss and an interception in Mercer's first two games.

"He's definitely a great player and he's a big guy, but just like any other, he's expecting anybody to come and give him his best and I'm going to give him my best every play," Bailey says. "I've always been taught, don't be intimidated by the challenge. The best players are always going to step up when they're asked to step up. I really truly believe that and if we come out how we're supposed to, come out hard, fast, physical, don't flinch at all, I think we're fine regardless of who we're playing."

As Mercer goes through practice periods 18 and 19, "Sweet Home Alabama" plays over the speakers. There's a tinge of irony given the two FBS opponents the Bears are playing this season.

A later track is even more apropos: "Dream On."

***

Bobby Lamb is familiar with what it takes for an FCS team to knock off an FBS team, he was an assistant coach at Furman in 1999 when the Paladins defeated North Carolina 28-3 in large part due to injuries to Tar Heels quarterbacks.

There's certainly no way for Mercer to plan for that and Auburn's size, skill and depth are all far superior across the board.

Mercer's primary goal is still about competing in the SoCon and keeping Riley on his feet against Auburn will ensure that goal isn't derailed before the first month of the season.

"It's a daunting task," Lamb says. "The thing you've got to do with a young quarterback is you got to make the game as simple as possible for him and that's easier said than done because if you make it too simple then Auburn's got those big four defensive linemen."

Riley shows no signs of being tense and if anything, is quite loose about playing Auburn, though he concedes their secondary is a "different breed" than what he's used to facing.

"We're going in, we don't have anything to lose," Riley says. "We're just going to play football. Whatever happens, happens. Anything is possible."

Success in such a game is hard for Bobby Lamb to define, but failure is not.

"Failure to me would be going over there and laying down and not fighting, not fighting to the very end. I think there's absolutely no way our guys will do that," he says. "The biggest thing I told our players is I want to see them go compete. This is their shot. When we recruited you we said we're playing Auburn in 2017 and your eyes lit up. So Saturday your eyes need to light up and you need to play at your fullest potential."

Auburn defeated Mercer 24-10 on Saturday but the Bears forced five turnovers, tied for most in college football this season with Bailey (11 tackles) forcing and recovering a fumble on the opening drive, and committed none.

Riley, who went 20 of 32 for 146 yards with a touchdown and was sacked just once, and the Bears had the ball at their own 20-yard line trailing 17-10 with 8:50 to go. Auburn's defense forced one of six three-and-outs and Pettway scored his third touchdown on the ensuing drive to effectively end the game.

"Tremendous effort, a few mistakes here and there, but just a tremendous effort," Bobby Lamb says afterward. "I couldn't be more proud of a football team for coming into a place like this and playing the way we did."

After returning to SoCon play for seven games, Mercer will complete its Iron Bowl schedule at No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 18.