Auburn A-Day spring game recap
The Harsin era starts off with a sleepy 17-3 spring game, but some flashes give War Eagle nation hope for 2021.
By: Bossman Slim
Photo: John Reed, USA TODAY Sports
Coming off a season that saw longtime head coach Gus Malzahn get fired, the Auburn faithful are looking for hope in 2021. The first sign of hope was the hiring of Bryan Harsin which has led to an already noticeable culture shift in the program. Tigers’ fans were looking for their second dose of hope last Saturday at the Auburn A-Day game.
The game was mostly a snoozer, but a few signs of hope were present. Learning under his third offensive coordinator and second head coach in three season, Bo Nix made some plays that made you think “maybe this is the year he can put it together.” He scrambled a half-dozen times, picking up a couple first downs and avoiding pressure well. He also added a nice TD through the air and went 12/20 for 112 yards.
From watching A-Day, it’s also obvious that Nix will not be challenged for the starting job this year, barring miraculously quick development from Dametrius Davis, the talented freshman out of Texas. Backup Grant Loy, while he has the prototype QB frame, was unimpressive in his reps. Davis just looks like a freshman. Auburn will live and die by Nix for at least another year.
The longball continues to be a question mark, and it could be an ongoing issue in 2021, especially after Auburn loses go-to WR Seth Williams and certified speed demon Anthony “may the schwartz be with you” Schwartz. No one stuck out at wide receiver who looks like the immediate heir to Williams or Schwartz.
If Auburn has difficulty taking the top off a defense, it will be easy for opponents to load the box and key in on the Tigers’ biggest threat: Tank Bigsby. Last Saturday, Bigsby played every part of “the guy,” rushing seven times for 64 yards and a TD. A big chunk of those yards came when Bigsby got loose in the second level and took the rock to pay dirt. Backup Shaun Shivers also looked like he could make some noise in relief of Bigsby this season, getting 12 carries for 55 yards.
The offensive line is a big question mark heading into the season. A few have underperformed their recruiting rankings and the unit has not gelled as Auburn would have hoped. Players are backing their guys, Coaches are claiming progress and the hiring of Will Friend should help, but this unit will be a key to Auburn’s success or failure this year. Nix needs time and Bigsby needs some bulldozers. The spring game didn’t offer too much to read into, but I would have liked to see some more push up front in the run game. Sure, backs went over 100 yards, but a big chunk of those came on Bigsby’s 40+ yard TD run.
Spring games are geared towards offenses, but the defense did show some flashes. The ESPN broadcast mentioned that a point of emphasis in spring practice for Derek Mason and co has been turnovers. They got one on the first drive when Tank Bigsby fumbled. They almost had a few more too as they worked to feast on the backup QBs, and Nix threw one or two that had a chance to be picked.
There were some bright spots during a sleepy 17-3 A-Day like the Bo Nix scrambles and the Bigsby run, along with some defensive stops. The Harsin era will have some new wrinkles and Auburn fans should have hope for the 2021 season. After all, it is the pre-season, where hope springs eternal.