Sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier entered the Sept. 15 University of Louisiana-Monroe game under heavy scrutiny and walked off Pat Dye Field with a win and a shred of redemption.
The team won for the first time with Frazier under center, and even if you dismiss the win because of the opponent, fans have to be happy with what they witnessed.
Yes, he had another turnover.
Yes, he completed 1-of-6 passes in the second half as the Warhawks fought back into the game.
Yes, it was against a team Auburn paid $1.05 million to play.
But you can't dismiss Frazier's noticeable improvement from the past two debacles.
He cut down turnovers, showed poise in the pocket and had his first multi-touchdown game of his career-albeit not in the way most expected.
Frazier scored on an electric 33-yard catch-and-run and ignited the home crowd again with his last-second bomb to freshman Sammie Coates to end the first half.
On the hail mary, Frazier avoided pressure and a near sack to roll left.
Most fans who had seen the first two games undoubtedly envisioned a wild throw out of bounds or into the hands of a ULM defender.
Frazier, however, squared his shoulders and heaved the ball to where only Coates could catch it.
When Frazier scrambled, he kept his eyes downfield and extended the play with his feet. When the time came to run, Frazier did so decisively, looking only for positive yardage.
Although he only had 8 yards rushing, he was only stopped once for negative yards and took one sack.
He wasn't spectacular, and there are still strides to make in his game, but, to echo the coaches' post-game thoughts, Frazier did a solid job of "managing the game."
Auburn led its attack on the ground, but Frazier made enough throws to keep the defense honest and six of his 10 completions were first downs that kept drives alive.
The offense rediscovered its strength on the ground and rushed for 255 yards.
If the defense improves its consistency, that rushing attack combined with the efficiency Frazier showed in the first half-9-of-12 for 114 yards and a touchdown-is all that Auburn needs to win games.
Frazier has still not proven himself a master of comebacks or the two-minute drill.
When ULM got within a touchdown of Auburn's lead, Frazier rushed twice for -1 yard and threw twice for two incompletions.
Auburn is not content with mediocrity, and Frazier must do more to give his team a chance to win in the future.
But Frazier now has the confidence of his first win and he showed the fans and critics alike that he was serious about correcting his mistakes.
Against LSU, Frazier faces his biggest test and must show he can be more than a game manager.
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