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A spirit that is not afraid

Bryan Harsin discusses quarterback roles going forward

Bryan Harsin talked to the media Monday about potential decisions around a starting quarterback for Saturday’s Death Valley matchup with LSU.

In a tense homecoming game, Bo Nix struggled to get the offense going, with only Anders Carlson keeping the team alive on special teams. LSU transfer T.J. Finley went into the game and took advantage of defensive momentum off a blocked punt, pulling a win from the jaws of defeat.

Since the win, the question has been if Harsin will start the veteran Nix or have Finley go against his previous team. 

In a depth chart released for Saturday’s game, Nix was listed as the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers. However, Harsin says depth charts are a somewhat outdated practice and may not truly reflect coaching sentiments. 

“That’s not been decided yet and I know depth charts come out,” Harsin said. “It’s a little bit old school because things change throughout the week and all that, so that stuff to me doesn’t really impact anything we’re going to do this week.”

With a performance that just was not effective enough to score offensive touchdowns, Nix was pulled from the game during the third quarter, with Finley coming in as his replacement. Harsin complimented Nix on his hard work and drive despite the struggles.

“He wants to be out there," Harsin said. "That’s the thing I love about Bo. Bo’s a hard worker, he’s a competitor and he’s like that all the time. It never changes. He’s always been driven like that and I fully expect that he’s going to get himself ready and have a great week of practice.” 

Nix went 13-for-27 on his passing attempts for a 48.1% completion rate. He totaled 156 passing yards and rushed just twice for zero yards. He scored no touchdowns. Those numbers simply were not putting the team in a position to win the game, so Nix took a backseat role.

Harsin said both Nix and Finley take the majority of the reps in practice and his expectation is that both will be prepared to play Saturday. He said that they already mix in starters in practice, so Finley’s step up will bring no change to their roles in practice.

Harsin’s repeated focus is preparation, which he emphasized that both quarterbacks will be doing throughout the week, regardless of their potential roles Saturday. The coaching staff now has high-pressure film from both players to analyze going forward. 

“What we’re going to do this week is we’re going to get our quarterbacks prepared today and tomorrow morning, so they’re ready to go for a Tuesday practice,” Harsin said. 

Finley was named as offensive player of the game for the Tigers, an honor Harsin only announces if the team wins. If he were a candidate, Finley’s performance on fourth-and-nine mirrored the miraculous “Heisman moments” that punctuate players’ careers.

“What I’m proud of T.J. for doing is having himself ready," Harsin said. "That’s one thing as a backup quarterback, you get yourself every week like you’re the starter and sometimes you don’t play, and you’ve got to do it again. There’s a mental toughness to playing quarterback and being a backup because you never know when your time is coming and you have to be ready.”

Being quarterback in his time at Boise State, Harsin is uniquely situated to sympathizing with the confidence struggles that come with playing the position at a high level. Ever the head coach, Harsin also said that there were areas of his game they will work to improve.

Finley went 9-for-16 on his passing attempts for a 56.3% completion rate. His efforts were enough to secure a passing touchdown to Shedrick Jackson. Down by three, the Tigers went for the two-point conversion and Finley passed again. This time, a completion to Kobe Hudson.

Coming in clutch off the bench, Finley secured an Auburn win and brought some hope for the upcoming week. LSU’s Death Valley is notorious for the disruption it brings to visiting teams, but Finley is a local with firsthand experience. Some call it home-field advantage. 

“I think [conference play] is the fun part for everybody," Harsin said. "You have your non-conference games and those are very important. Those are very valuable because you want to win every single game, but once you get into conference play, it becomes fun. There’s history with these teams.”

Regardless of whose name gets called Saturday, there has to be consistency. Finley’s single touchdown secured the homecoming win, but that will likely not be enough to fend off LSU. If Nix gets the start, consistency will be key in his success. 

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Who gets the start Saturday? Since Bryan Harsin will not, only time will tell. 


Callie Stanford | Sports Writer

Callie Stanford is from Springville, Alabama and is currently a sophomore at Auburn. She has been with The Plainsman since January 2021.

Twitter: @Stanford1Callie


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