Once again, Auburn is at a crossroads under center. Who will the Tigers send out first at quarterback against Alabama?
Heading into the Iron Bowl, there is once again uncertainty for the Auburn Tigers at the quarterback position.
Freshman Deuce Knight got the nod against Mercer and stole the show. He showed his potential both through the air and on the ground, giving Auburn's coaching staff some thinking to do heading into the game.
Knight impressed interim head coach DJ Durkin, but the man at the helm of the program was fully aware of what Knight is capable of before the Mercer game.
"Deuce (Knight) showed to everyone what we see at practice quite often," Durkin said. "That’s what we expected from him out there. It was really his first time starting and playing and all of that. He exceeded expectations, but we know what he is capable of."
Despite not playing against Mercer in order to preserve his redshirt, Durkin is confident in Ashton Daniels' ability to jump back in.
"It's crucial. Through that experience, he took the right approach all last week, too," Durkin said. "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."
Daniels took a significant step in the right direction between Auburn's games against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. As a result, Durkin is confident in Daniels' ability to keep improving and give the Tigers the best chance possible to upset Alabama on Saturday.
"I think it was about providing him with a plan he could have confidence in," Durkin said. "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."
Daniels will likely get the nod for Auburn against Alabama, but Knight will likely be involved in some capacity.