The heavily anticipated A-Day finally arrived. Everyone was excited to see what improvements head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff made during spring ball.
The offense tied the game 24-24 in three quarters. Although it was a cold, rainy day on the Plains, Freeze was pleased with his offense’s performance.
“I thought it was a solid day. There were some good things and some not-so-good things, of course, but overall I think our first spring — the 15 days that our kids gave us — it was great energy and effort,” Freeze said. “I think we took the right step toward building some foundational things that we’re gonna have to lean on in order to compete next year in this league.”
The quarterback room has been a source of concern for Freeze over spring ball, but the head coach was happy with his players’ A-Day performance.
“I feel better than I did 15 practices ago. I really think from this point now until the end of fall camp, there’s so much that needs to happen for somebody to solidify being the guy,” Freeze said. “I think all have improved. I think all are still inconsistent with some things.”
Robby Ashford was named the offensive MVP with 38 rushing yards, one touchdown and a 39-yard completion, the longest play of the day.
“I feel like every single day, I found something to get better at. Coach Freeze has challenged me, and I appreciate that because he’s taught me so much already in such a short time,” Ashford said. “It’s been really good, and just from our talks, he’s a coach that really cares and really wants to see you succeed.”
Even with terrible weather, the quarterbacks generated some offense from the pocket. Redshirt freshman Holden Geriner completed three-of-five passes for 17 yards. T.J. Finley went one-for-four with four yards and also had three rushing attempts for 13 yards.
“Everybody’s grown. We’re a room that gets along together, and we want to see everybody succeed. We push each other every single day,” Ashford said. “Just seeing the growth from every quarterback from day one to day 15, it’s been impressive.”
Most of Auburn’s running backs had an opportunity to run the ball. Sean Jackson led the offense in rushing with 77 yards on 13 attempts — averaging 5.9 yards. Justin Jones and Damari Alston followed Jackson’s lead. Jones had 50 yards on 11 attempts, and Alston had 43 yards on five attempts.
“We have the best running back room in the country, in my opinion, by far," Geriner said. "If we happen to make the wrong read, we hand it to them. They’re gonna make something happen regardless. They’re the driving force of the entire offense.”
The second window for the 2023 football transfer portal will open on April 15. With the date rapidly approaching, Freeze stated that he is open to any player in any position as long as they fit into Auburn’s “culture.”
“The transfer portal opens soon, and we are open to any position that would help us improve our team as long as they fit within the culture – that includes the quarterback room,” Freeze said.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
