Each player competing for the starting quarterback position brings unique factors with them to the offense, but it appears that one candidate may have a slight advantage over his fellow competitors.
When discussing quarterbacks following Auburn’s scrimmage last Friday, head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] took the time to share with the media what makes a quarterback an ideal fit in his style.
“You can tell who your quarterback is when you walk into a room, I think,” Harsin said. “That guy is sitting there and has his notebook out and he’s dialed in. He sits in the meeting room and knows the answers. He’s flowing with the coach. He’s one of the first guys out there on the field getting warmed up. He’s got command of what’s going on. It’s every single thing.”
Is there a contender that matches that description step-by-step? Look no further than incumbent [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag].
Finley, who has the most experience in Harsin’s system, has a “coach’s mentality,” Harsin says.
“(Finley) sees things out there. Not everybody conceptually picks things up very quickly. It takes a little bit of time. He’s got that mentality,” Harsin said. “Some guys have it. It takes some time for others and you’ll figure it out. But we’re all good at something, and some guys are really good at football and just seeing it.”
Harsin shared an example of Finley showcasing that mentality during Friday’s scrimmage, which was a testament to his extra experience with Harsin’s system.
“We get the play in late, the clock’s running down, it’s going to be a timeout situation. Well, he’s getting everybody lined up and getting the snap count to what it needs to be so we can get the snap up and get the play what we need to be,” Harsin said. “There’s no panic, he’s just doing it with urgency. He gets everybody lined up then bang, we convert a third down and nine. So those are things, to me, I think he does a really good job of.”
Finley’s first notable appearance came on Sept. 25 against Georgia State. Auburn was struggling against a lower-tier program and needed a shot in the arm. Finley relieved [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag], and would ultimately throw the go-ahead touchdown pass to [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] with 0:45 remaining to give Auburn the 27-24 lead, which erased a 12-point halftime deficit.
He then took over the offense for good late in the season following an ankle injury to Nix in the Mississippi State game. He would go on to start in Auburn’s final three games, which all ended in defeat as part of Auburn’s five-straight losses to close the season.
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