After a long and challenging offseason, the Auburn Tigers will finally hit the field on Saturday to face the Mercer Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn enters the game with a lot to prove. Not only has the team seen multiple predictions that point to them finishing at the bottom of the SEC barrel, but head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] has faced his share of criticism as well.
Then, there’s [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag]. Finley won the three-member quarterback battle officially on Monday and is ready for the challenge of leading Auburn’s offense.
“I wasn’t mentally ready last year, nor was I physically ready, to take that job after Bo (Nix) got injured,” Finley said. “I had to be that role because I was the backup,” Finley said Monday during a press conference. “I did some observations after the season, and mentally I wasn’t where I needed to be to lead this team to finish the season out strong. But I strongly believe I’m there this year.”
As Auburn hits the field Saturday for the first game of the 2022 season, here’s a look at five reasons why they will begin the season 1-0.