After a long offseason of thumping pads against one another, game week has finally arrived on the Plains.
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said his team will enter Friday’s season opener against Baylor relatively healthy.
“I think everybody's at a point that's going to be able to play that hadn't been already ruled out previously. So we're pleased and thankful for that,” said Freeze on Monday.
Two names mentioned when asked about the team’s health were wide receiver Eric Singleton, Jr. and kicker Alex McPherson.
Singleton has dealt with a hamstring issue through the latter half of camp.
“He looked good yesterday. I think he's close to being 100%. We'll continue to protect him a little bit and get him some conditioning, but he'll be ready to give it a go for (Friday) – Lord willing, that nothing else happens this week,” Freeze said of Singleton.
McPherson, on the other hand, is recovering from a major setback suffered last offseason. The junior kicker was sidelined with gastrointestinal issues, with his only kicks of the season coming in Auburn’s 24-10 win at Kentucky.
He has progressed throughout the offseason, but Freeze said the staff is monitoring him to make sure he is fully ready before taking the field. Freeze added that the two would meet later in the week to decide his status for Friday.
“If he feels like he's able to participate, then the next question will be ‘all right, let's be real on the how are you feeling on distance?' And it may be pregame before we know that,” said Freeze.
If McPherson is unable to give it a go, Freeze is confident in backups Towns McGough and Connor Gibbs to get the job done.
“I think Towns has had a solid camp, as has Gibbs. It’s really close between those two,” said Freeze. “As far as what they've graded out, accuracy wise, Towns would probably get the first opportunity there. And we believe in all three of those guys. Obviously, Alex is super talented and accurate. It's just a matter of what he feels like he's able to do. And then we'll go from there with with Towns, and Gibbs.”
The Tigers’ Friday night kickoff against Baylor is set for 7 p.m. on Fox.
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