Tag: TJ Finley

Saturday’s scrimmage will provide a turning point in quarterback battle

The quarterback race is still wide open. That could change this weekend.

One of Auburn football’s most important questions heading into the fall may soon have an answer.

After spring practice, the quarterback battle appeared to be decided as [autotag]TJ Finley[/autotag] elected to transfer to Texas State. However, the race took an interesting turn in May as Michigan State transfer [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] announced that he would be transferring into the program to compete with incumbent [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag].

Since then, the competition has turned up a notch. Even dark horse contender [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] is trying to make a splash in the decision.

Offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] provided an update regarding quarterbacks with the media on Monday. He says that he hopes Saturday’s scrimmage will provide more clarity on the battle.

“I just want to see somebody take control and take a step forward. Separate themselves. That’s what you’re looking for in your quarterback position — a guy that’s gonna lead, guy that’s gonna make plays,” Montgomery said. “He doesn’t have to be Superman, but he does have to be consistent in his play in his decision making and taking care of the football, and then moving us down the field and staying ahead of chains.”

He went on to say that the quarterback who remains the most consistent in making plays will win the job. But what does each quarterback bring to the table? He began by describing Thorne and his “student of the game” mentality. Thorne has done well at getting up to speed with the new system.

“He’s seeing things right now at a really good rate,” Montgomery said. “You’ve gotta remember, he wasn’t here in the spring. Some of the things that he’s picked up on, we’ve gotta get everybody else around that to be on the same page with him. But I think he’s done a great job with his leadership. He’s disciplined, and he’s professional about what he does.”

When it comes to Ashford, Montgomery says that he has become more consistent over the fall.

“(Ashford has) got a big arm. But it’s the consistency of the fundamentals that kind of go into that part of it. He’s worked really hard on that,” Montgomery said. “I think he’s really operated. He does a really good job of trying to lead and be positive and do the things that we’re asking him to do.”

The Tigers will continue fall camp until Saturday, Aug. 19. As part of fall camp, Auburn will have two scrimmages at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Potential transfer quarterbacks for Notre Dame and if they should pursue

Who do you like from this hypothetical list?

With the quarterback position in such a odd place for Notre Dame, it only makes sense to look around and see who else is out there. Recently, I complied a list of current QB’s in the transfer portal and if they would be a fit for the Irish.

Today, 247Sports Clint Brewster looked at hypothetical portal quarterbacks, so let’s do the same drill and see if they are fits for the Irish if they end up in the portal.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Where the Auburn offense ranks per Pro Football Focus

How does the Auburn offense grade through a third of the season?

It has been a Jekyll and Hyde like offense for the Auburn Tigers. The running game looks solid while the passing game looks like a junior varsity squad.

A lot of the inefficiencies can be dropped at the feet of the offensive line. They have trouble in both pass and run blocking through four games this season. That came against Mercer, San Jose State, Penn State, and Missouri. Not exactly murderer’s row, but the upcoming games against LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Alabama definitely does.

Not everything can be put on the guys protecting, but the receivers and quarterbacks hold their fair share of the blame. One thing that seems to be a bright spot has been the running game led by preseason All-SEC running back Tank Bigsby. Bigsby has forced 31 missed tackles and tallied 246 yards after contact.

We break down the offensive units with their season grades from Pro Football Focus through a third of the season.

Winners and Losers from Auburn’s loss to Penn State

That was an embarrassing loss by Auburn.

That was not how Auburn wanted their rematch against Penn State to go.

The Tigers were looking to get revenge for last year’s loss in Beaver Stadium and had an electric Jordan-Hare Stadium behind them. That was not nearly enough as Auburn fell 41-12 to the Nittany Lions for their first loss of the season.

While the offense has struggled throughout the first two games of the season the defense has done enough to avoid a disastrous start to the season, that did not happen Saturday as Penn State exploded for 27 second-half points to pull away.

Here are the winners and losers from Auburn’s loss.

Auburn falls to Penn State 41-12 for first loss of the season

This was a disappointing performance by Auburn who now enter SEC play.

Auburn faced its first test of the season on Saturday and failed it.

The Tigers fell to Penn State 41-12 in Jordan-Hare Stadium for their first loss of the season.

While some will point to the quarterbacks and their turnovers, Auburn’s has much bigger issues on offense and defense.

Penn State’s pass rush was able to completely take over the game and ensure neither [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] nor [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] were ever comfortable. [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag], Auburn’s best offensive player, had just six touches in the first half.

Meanwhile, the defense still has not forced a turnover, was unable to pressure Sean Clifford and came apart in the second half of the game.

Auburn’s defense attempted to set the tone early, Owen Pappoe delivered a massive hit to Clifford and the Tigers stopped them on 4th down to set up the offense at the Penn State 47.

The Tigers were able to get into the redzone but stalled and were forced to kick a field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 8:20 left in the first quarter.

Clifford and the Nittany Lions were able to respond on their next drive. He picked apart Auburn’s secondary, completing all three of his passes for 50 yards, and ran it in from the seven yard-line to take the lead.

Auburn was able to move the ball on their next two drives but once again struggled when they crossed into Penn State territory.

On the first Finley was hit by a rusher, and his errant pass was picked off by a defender. On the next they marched right back into the redzone but were once again forced to come away with a field goal, making it a 7-6 Penn State lead.

That was as close as the game would get, Penn State responded with another touchdown drive to take a 14-6 lead with 1:46 left in the first half.

The Tigers looked to get back in the game after the break but went three-and-out and Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton put those hopes to bed. He ripped off a 53-yard run on their first play of the half and punched it into the endzone two plays later to give the Nittany Lions a 21-6 lead.

Looking to claw their way back into the game disaster struck on Auburn’s next two drives. On the next drive, Finley was pressured and stripped, giving the Nittany Lions the ball right back and setting them up for a field goal.

Ashford started the next drive and was able to lead the Tigers inside the Penn State 10-yard line before being sacked and throwing an interception to end the drive. The Nittany Lions once again took advantage of the turnover, marching down the field in eight plays to take a commanding 31-6 lead with 1:07 left in the third quarter.

The Tigers scored their first touchdowns of the game in the fourth quarter when [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] caught a pass from Ashford and hurdled a defender to complete the 22-yard catch and run. The score made it 31-12 and Singleton responded with a 54-yard touchdown run to stop any momentum.

Auburn’s defense was unable to stand up to the Penn State offense in the second half, allowing them to score on five of their six second-half drives.

Auburn will have to regroup ahead of their SEC opener against Missouri (2-1) next Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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How LSU transfers fared at their new schools in Week 1

From Arik Gilbert to Eli Ricks, here’s how former Tigers fared in Week 1.

LSU was busy in the transfer portal this offseason.

Much of that was because it lost quite a few guys, too. Throughout the coaching transition, there was a steady trickle of players leaving. That’s just how it goes when a new coach takes over.

Some of the losses hurt more than others, like [autotag]Eli Ricks[/autotag] and [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag]. There were some hits that LSU should have no trouble absorbing, like the loss of [autotag]Trey Palmer[/autotag], who left a crowded wide receiver room.

Not all of these transfers are from this cycle. There are guys like [autotag]Chris Curry[/autotag], now with Utah, who saw a steady dose of action on Saturday. Let’s take a look at how some former LSU players fared in their new uniforms.

Look: The best images from Saturday’s open practice

Here’s a look at the best images from Saturday’s practice at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn football held an open practice on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, in an effort to give the public a chance to watch the team prepare for the season opener against Mercer next Saturday.

Fans got to see the team take part in several drills. They also had a chance to see the three candidates for the open quarterback job in live situations.

As we move into game week, one thing to watch for this week is the naming of a starting quarterback. No one knows for sure when the announcement will be made, but head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] is set to host his game-week press conference on Monday afternoon.

While we await the decision, take a look at the best photos from Saturday’s open practice:

A look at Zach Calzada’s 2021 situational stats

Here is now Zach Calzada performed in key situations, all stats are courtesy of Stats Perform.

Auburn is in the midst of a competitive quarterback battle with three primary contenders.

While [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] had a shot at winning the battle, it was going to be tough for a true freshman to win the starting job. That leaves the trio of [autotag]TJ Finley[/autotag], [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], and [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag] as the contenders to be Auburn’s next starting quarterback.

Finley spent last season as Bo Nix’s backup before starting the final three games for an injured Nix. Ashford started his career at Oregon and while a great athlete who is a capable runner, he has yet to see game action. Calzada, who transferred from Texas A&M this summer, played in 12 games for the Aggies last season and is seen by many as the favorite to win the job.

While the battle is still raging, Auburn Wire will take a look at the situational stats from Calzada’s 2021 season. All stats are courtesy of Stats Perform.

Look: The best photo’s from Auburn’s Thursday practice

Here are the best photo’s from Auburn’s Thursday practice ahead of their first scrimmage on Saturday.

Auburn’s march to the season continues this weekend with the Tiger’s first scrimmage of fall camp taking place in Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday Saturday night.

It is one of the most important steps of the camp and could mark a turning point in Auburn’s quarterback battle. The trio of [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag], [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], and [autotag]TJ Finley[/autotag] are all battling for the starting job currently and are expected to receive equal reps with the first team.

If one or two of them perform well they could start to separate themselves and allow the coaching staff to narrow the competition. Stay tuned to Auburn Wire for reaction to the scrimmage and until then, here are the best photos from Auburn’s Thursday practice.

Bryan Harsin provides update on quarterback battle

Bryan Harsin said that he saw more consistency in his quarterbacks during Tuesday’s practice.

One of the many questions that every leader of a college football program needs to answer every preseason is, “who will be the starting quarterback?”

Some seasons, the quarterback situation is resolved much sooner. However, for Auburn, the race is still between four feasible candidates, and is about a week away from concluding.

Head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] told the media that quarterback play was more consistent than in past practices when he spoke to the media on Tuesday. He also went on to share his thoughts on each candidate.

First, he mentioned how great of a day that Texas A&M transfer [autotag]Zach Calzada[/autotag] had.

“I thought (Calzada’s) footwork was good and he threw the ball well,” Harsin said Tuesday. “Like everybody else, he had a sense of urgency on the field. That’s where our quarterbacks each and every day, they’ve gotta show up and have great days because if they don’t the rest of us really feel that.”

After Calzada, most feel that [autotag]TJ Finley[/autotag] would be next in line to win the job after starting the final three games for Auburn in 2021, filling in for the injured [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag]. However, Oregon transfer and former Hoover High School standout [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] has made a case for himself to earn the job.

If everybody’s covered, (Ashford) is gonna have a chance to go out there and make a play with his feet. I also think he’s throwing the ball better,” Harsin said. “His decision-making in the pass game, I thought he had a couple throws the other day that were really special that he put into some windows. Then just his command of the offense, too. Calling plays, making checks, audibles, all those things, He’s got a better feel for those things right now.”

The decision to name a starting quarterback appears to be a tough one to make according to Harsin. He says that he and his offensive staff will continue to take the time that they are allowed before the season-opener on September 3 to make a final call.

“We’ve got more time. It’s not a finished product right now,” Harsin said. “For everybody, we all want to know, but coaching that position and doing this for a few years now, you know we have time to keep building through some things and you’ve just gotta stick with one thing for a while until they get it and then move on to the next.”

Auburn will continue preparing for the 2022 season for the next three weeks. The season-opener against Mercer is set for Saturday, Sept. 3 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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