The Auburn Tigers are coming off a 62-17 thumping of Mercer, and they did so without starting quarterback Ashton Daniels.
Daniels took over starting duties after a 33-24 win over Arkansas. He was held out of action against Mercer to preserve his redshirt status for next season, as NCAA football players can participate in up to four games in the regular season without playing a fifth, and maintain another year of eligibility, and Daniels’ third was against Vanderbilt.
Now, Daniels is assumed to slot back into his starting role, and interim head coach DJ Durkin said that Daniels handled his “off week” like a pro.
“It's crucial,” Durkin said of Daniels’ experience. “Through that experience, he took the right approach all last week, too. Ashton was very active in practice, both on the offensive field and the defensive field. He came over and played quarterback versus our defense a lot of times. I wanted him to keep the speed of the game going, and he helped our defense. With those guys, with Deuce (Knight), with Jackson (Arnold), they're very involved in the game plan, so I think because of that, he approached it the right way, and he'll be just fine.”
Daniels displayed a rather lackluster showing in the Tigers’ 10-3 loss to Kentucky at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which ultimately led to the firing of Hugh Freeze. He managed just 108 yards on a 46% completion rate with one interception.
He bounced back with a career-high 442 yards of total offense against the Commodores as the Tigers put up their highest point total in league play this season in a 45-38 overtime loss.
“I think it was about providing him with a plan he could have confidence in,” Durkin said of the improvement. “ We wanted to build it around him. I feel like his teammates respond well to him, to his leadership, and what he's all about. Let's really focus on what he does well. Let's focus on who he gets the ball to and make it about that. Credit again to our coaches and to Ashton for executing that. I thought they really did a good job."
Auburn's offense operated just fine with freshman quarterback Deuce Knight at the helm, as he totaled six scores, which tied a program record for the most in a game. In fact, the Tigers put up their highest point total since the 2024 season-opener against Alabama A&M (73).
“Deuce showed to everyone what we see at practice quite often. That’s what we expected from him out there,” Durkin said. “It was really his first time starting and playing and all of that. He exceeded expectations, but we know what he is capable of.”
The two gunslingers have emerged as the first two options to lead the Tigers’ offense as they search for bowl eligibility with a win on Saturday against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Under their guidance, Auburn has totaled 1,110 yards of offense since November 8. Since then, the Tigers lead the SEC in scoring offense (50 ppg) and rank third in the league in total offense (555 ypg). The unit is one of two FBS programs to rank in the top five in both categories during the span.
For Auburn, with Daniels at the helm, or if Knight is inserted in specific packages throughout the game, the message is the same.
“The message is to go 1-0,” Durkin said. “Every week, our whole goal is to go 1-0. It’s a fight. It’s a challenge every week.”
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