BY WIL CREWS
SPORTSCREWS@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
AUBURN ––
Auburn held its first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. As preseason work continues to ramp up, the scrimmage provided the first in-action look at the 2022 Tigers under coach Bryan Harsin.
Here is what we learned.
1. T.J. FINLEY IS IN POLE POSITION TO WIN THE QB BATTLE
It’s still an open competition. But, Finley took snaps with the first team to begin Saturday’s scrimmage and promptly led a 14-play drive, which was ended on a 95-yard scoop-and-score by the defense.
“Conceptually, he picks things up very quickly,” Harsin said of Finley. “Listens to the details and all the nuances on plays. If there’s a coaching point, not just for him but for anybody, he’ll remember that coaching point and be able to echo it whenever it comes up.”
Other quarterbacks Robby Ashford and Zac Calzada also performed well according to Harsin. The issue thus far with Calzada — who threw a touchdown in Saturday’s scrimmage — has been consistency; that aspect may improve as he gets more familiar with the system after transferring from Texas A&M and missing all of spring practice. Ashford has impressed due to the increased level of athleticism he holds over Finley and Calzada. As of now, each player has their own clear strengths: Finley has the most prior experience with Harsin; Calzada looks like the most well-rounded; and Ashford would be the choice given Harsin and his staff want to opt for a mobile option at quarterback. Still, however, a decision on who starts opening day appears to be somewhat far into the future.
“No decisions right now are going to be made,” Harsin said.
2. WIDE RECEIVERS ARE STEPPING UP
After the scrimmage, Harsin spoke about the play of the wide receiver room, noting the impact freshman Camden Brown has had, and how others are stepping up.
“I think that whole group with Coach (Ike) Hilliard has made a lot of progress,” Harsin said. “That’s a group that runs all the time. There have been very few issues out of that group. They’re working, they’ve got to get better, and we ask them to do a lot of things … but overall they know what to do. I think they practice hard.”
Brown, a 6-foot-3-inch true freshman, caught a touchdown in Friday’s scrimmage as he continued his impressive fall camp. Outside of super-senior Shedrick Jackson, Brown provides the Tigers with a big-body pass catcher –– the likes of which Auburn hasn’t seen since Seth Williams in 2020. Brown is an early favorite as one of the youngsters who could break into the “starter” category.
“Camden’s a young guy who’s catching our eye right now,” Harsin said.
Jackson and junior receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson are two other who Harsin singled out for having good camps. Alongside playmakers like Tar’Varish Dawson and Landen King — who have flashed brilliance in seasons past — the quality of Auburn’s receiver room looks like one of the earliest pleasant surprises to arise this fall.
3. CLARITY ON WHO STEPS UP ALONGSIDE OWEN PAPPOE AT LINEBACKER
The Tigers had multiple significant producers at the linebacker position move on from the program after 2021. Mainstays in the middle of the defense, Zakoby McClain and Chandler Wooten, are gone, and so steps in North Carolina transfer Eugene Asante and junior Cam Riley.
After missing spring practice, Asante has come on strong this fall. Riley, a former four-star, has grown from his freshman 6-foot-4-inch, 209-pound size to an imposing 6-foot-5-inch, 230 pounds. Freshman Robert Woodyard has also turned heads.
“I’ve been really impressed with our linebackers,” Harsin said.
4. THE RUNNING BACK ROOM IS STACKED
Tank Bigsby is a dawg. Auburn fans know that in their heart of hearts. The breakout just needs to come this year. Pretty much everyone in the country agrees it will –– and if not, they admit it needs to happen for Auburn to succeed in 2022. But, maybe the pressure is not all on him. Sophomore Jarquez Hunter finished his freshman season with 593 yards with a per-carry-average of 6.7 yards.
Hunter himself has noted how he expects to contributed more in 2022, saying last weekend, “The biggest adjustment is that now I am going to play a lot more this year, so I have got to really just get stuff down pat.”
Another running back who impressed Harsin at Saturday’s scrimmage was four-star true freshman Damari Alston. He scored twice in the scrimmage and Harsin had a lot of praise for the newcomer.
“The one thing about having tailbacks, you don’t want to over-coach them,” Harsin said of Alston. “He’s just got a good feel for it, he knows where to go. I think he’s just got a good feel for when the play opens up to hit it. He doesn’t lose many yards; he’s got a good change of direction when he has to. He showed a good burst tonight.”
5. OFFENSIVE IS STILL WORKING TO IMPROVE
According to Harsin Saturday, the offensive line’s performance in the scrimmage was “solid.” The Tigers brought back six players with starting experience from last season, in addition to adding some talented pieces for the future of the program. Harsin and his staff proved last year they are not afraid to mix things up on the o-line and rotate in new faces for those not performing up to par. So, the search for “the five best players,” continues, according to offensive line coach Will Friend.
“We had a few plays that we got penetrated on,” Harsin said. “There wasn’t a lot of negative plays from that standpoint. I think we’ve got to do a better job of getting some push. But there were some good run lanes that they created. I just think our d-line is doing a good job, and I think that we’ve got some guys on the d-line that can play. So I think especially with that first group, that’s a challenge for the o-line.”
6. INJURY FREE (AS OF NOW)
Auburn had a number of potential contributors absent from its spring program. The Tigers also had a number of key contributors from last year’s team miss significant time in the 2021 season. In total, seven returning starters, the No. 1 junior college player in the country and a potential quarterback contender have all missed significant time since spring. That, in turn, has made things difficult when it came to assessing the roster. Injuries no more, however. Harsin said Saturday the team is healthy in terms of not having any significant injuries.
“We’ve got a few little nicks, hammys and just kinda bumps and bruises right now, but nothing from the surgeries that’s going to keep anybody out at this point,” Harsin said.
Kicker Daniel Carlson made all four field goals attempted in the scrimmage, signaling progress from the ACL injury he sustained toward the end of last season, and Pappoe took live reps after dealing with lingering lower body issues last season and through the spring.
“Owen looked like Owen,” Harsin said. “He made some plays.”
The Tigers are set to hold their second fall training camp scrimmage this Friday. It will likely present some new answers –– and questions –– for a team that is shrouded in uncertainty entering this season. The Tigers have just over two weeks remaining before opening the season at home against Mercer on Sept. 3. Things will only ramp up further from here.
“Into the second scrimmage is where you’ll be cutting the team into the two-deep and the scouts,” Harsin said. “So, it’s going to happen fairly quickly, and like I told our guys, this stuff goes quick and you need to be ready. So, every rep you get, every practice, matters.”