As woeful as Auburn’s offense has been, and there are several factors as to why, quarterback Jackson Arnold has yet to fully prove he is capable of leading the Tigers’ offense to higher heights.
When asked on Monday whether he would consider making a change under center against No. 16 Missouri, head coach Hugh Freeze said Arnold is who he will roll with on Saturday.
“When you look at the first half (against Georgia), you’re in love with what you see. When you look at parts of the second half, you question, ‘Why not the same throws? ‘Why not the same accuracy?’ So all of that is certainly worth looking at. We are always getting other guys' reps for sure, but Jackson is who we are going with Saturday, and hopefully he gets off to that same start he did again and continues it now throughout four quarters,” Freeze said.
Auburn got off to a dominant start against Georgia, posting 237 yards of total offense with a rushing touchdown from Arnold, giving it a quick 7-0 lead on its first drive.
Arnold leads the team with six rushing scores this season and is the 12th quarterback in program history to rush for six or more touchdowns in a season.
But Arnold has yet to show he can move the Tigers down the field through the air. According to Pro Football Focus, Arnold possesses a 56.5 passer grade, which is 248th in college football. He has posted a 38.9% completion rate on throws of 20-plus yards and has posted a 37.2 passer grade when under pressure this season.
Arnold missed on a handful of throws in the second half against the Bulldogs on Saturday, highlighted by overthrowing the outstretched arms of the speedy Eric Singleton, Jr. over the middle of the field, one that, if he had converted, could have changed the trajectory of the second half.
“Critical moments. He’s got to shine, and I think he has done a lot of nice things. Obviously, he is taking care of the football, for the most part, but certainly, I think he has got to have a little more poise in the pocket,” Freeze said. “And when we’ve got to have those critical throws, we have got to make them. We have lacked some of that, so that’s where he has got to improve, and he knows it, and hopefully we will see that Saturday.”
Freshman quarterback Deuce Knight saw action in the Tigers’ home-opener against Ball State and completed two passes for 40 yards while adding 16 yards on the ground on four carries.
Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels is thought to be the next man up if Freeze were to make a move during the season, but Freeze has exclaimed that he is opting to preserve Daniels’ redshirt status ahead of next season. Saturday’s game against Missouri is the final matchup of a four-game stretch against teams ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll. The visiting Tigers possess the fourth-best scoring defense in the SEC, giving up 16.7 points per game.
“I think we’ve proven that we belong in those games,” Freeze said. “Now we’ve got to prove we’re good enough to win those.”
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