How Close is Hugh Freeze to Declaring a Winner in Auburn's QB Battle?

AUBURN, Ala.-- In the middle of a midseason quarterback battle between starter Jackson Arnold and backup Ashton Daniels, Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze is not ready to declare a winner ahead of Saturday's game against Kentucky.

"It's going to be a tough call," Freeze said during Wednesday's SEC Coaches Teleconference. "Not quite ready to make it yet, but I have confidence in both of them."

Arnold, who has started in every game this season, was benched in favor of fellow transfer Daniels, who sparked the Tigers to its first SEC win of the season. In his first appearance with the program, Daniels threw for 77 yards on 6-of-8 passing, while rushing for 35 yards on seven carries.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Ashton Daniels sparked Auburn to a win. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Replacing Arnold at the end of the second quarter after Arnold threw a pick-six, Daniels led Auburn to five scoring drives - all field goals - in seven total drives. Three drives were set up by takeaways by the Tigers' defense.

The only two non-scoring drives the Tigers had with Daniels at quarterback was at the end of the first half and at the end of the game.

As a result, Freeze on Monday announced a quarterback competition between the two while the staff still develops true freshman Deuce Knight, whom Freeze described as the "future of this program."

"They both are really great guys that prepare well. They're getting us in the right things," Freeze said. "They're setting the protections the right way. They're both making accurate throws for the most part. And so, it's really hard to decipher the difference when you are in practice."

Arnold has thrown for 1,263 yards against only two interceptions, but the lack of scoring with the former Oklahoma quarterback (six total touchdown passes, less than 20 points per game in each of his SEC appearances) and struggles beyond the first quarter have put his role as the starter in jeopardy.

"If you look at how Jackson's opened the last three games, it's been pretty phenomenal, and he's played pretty flawless in those. But then in other moments, we just hadn't gotten over the hump and won games," Freeze said. "Ultimately, we all get judged on how the win-loss deal says on the scoreboard."

Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold has started every game this season. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

While Daniels seems like the obvious decision considering Arnold's noted struggles and Daniels' performance last week, Freeze admitted that Daniels' missed reps due to a late transfer from Stanford has kept Arnold ahead until this week's competition.

"That's why it's so difficult to decide," he said.

Freeze will have a few more days to decide before the Tigers go for its second-straight SEC win and take one step closer to bowl-eligibility.

"We're look for kind of a spark, and Ashton, I think, has the capacity to play really well, too," Freeze said.

Kickoff between Kentucky and Auburn on Saturday is at 6:30 p.m. CT with television coverage on SEC Network.

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