Takeaways from Auburn football's spring game

Despite the final combined score being one point less than last years spring game, the 2022 A-Day was far more interesting than last seasons.

10-9 was the score, with freshman quarterback Holden Geriner unable to complete a two-point conversion to win the contest on the final play.

The quarterback competition was the headline of the event, and I don't believe it disappointed. The ground game was relatively ineffective due to Auburn's injuries across the starting offensive line, and it allowed the Tigers to throw the ball around a little bit with TJ Finley, Robby Ashford, and Holden Geriner. Zach Calzada was dressed out, but did not compete (left shoulder injury).

Here are five takeaways from A-Day.

Auburn's tight ends were heavily involved

Auburn's tight ends accounted for 12 of the 34 passes completed Saturday afternoon. Brandon Frazier, who has been buried on the depth chart for a couple of seasons now, hauled in five passes for 42 yards on Auburn's final drive of the game.

Tyler Fromm, Landen King, Luke Deal, and John Samuel Shenker all recorded a reception.

Harsin's offense will likely focus on utilizing the tight ends even more than last year now that he has full control of the play calling. Look for King, Shenker,and Fromm to all be legitimate contributors this fall.

The Tigers offensive line struggled as expected

Several starters were not available on Auburn's senior-laden offensive line, and the Tigers struggled. The run blocking was simply not there. Auburn averaged a collective 2.3 yards per carry. The pass blocking wasn't terrible, but it was not ideal. A combined four sacks and eight TFLs between both defensive units.

Robby Ashford looked very comfortable

Ashford completed 12 of 16 passes for 132 yards. For a quarterback that hasn't been on roster for very long, he looked solid.

He's clearly the most versatile athlete Auburn has at QB. He showed off his running ability but a couple of sacks caused him to finish with a negative yards per carry. With Calzada being limited this spring, it seems like Ashford has done everything he can to take advantage of the extra reps.

This quarterback battle is going to be wild

Harsin noted that the quarterback battle won't even be trimmed down until the first week of fall camp ends. The four QBs in the room (Finley, Calzada, Ashford, and Geriner) will all be duking it out for the job September 3rd. I'm excited to see how the race goes. I genuinely don't know who will eventually win the competition. Honestly, I don't think the coaching staff does either.

Auburn needs more optimism

The fan attendance at A-Day wasn't terrible, but it was certainly lacking. Optimism seems to be at an all-time low heading into the 2022 season. With the way the schedule sets up, there's no reason to believe that the Tigers are definitively going to fail this year. Until we see the product put out on the field, let's not jump to any conclusions.

Auburn Daily Football Content

Spring Preview: Quarterbacks

Spring Preview: Defensive back

Spring Preview: Running back

Spring Preview: Tight end

Spring Preview: Wide Receiver

Spring Preview: EDGE

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