Auburn football: Tigers seek to leave the drama behind and focus on 2022 season
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Auburn’s 2022 season has been an eventful one, and the games haven’t even started yet. A controversial quarterback battle, an AD stepping down just days away from Saturday’s opening kickoff. And that’s after the turmoil that surrounded the 1st season under head coach Bryan Harsin finally seemed to settle into a slow simmer.
But that’s what happens when you start a season 6-2 and then lose the final 5 games and wind up with the 1st losing season in a decade. Those consecutive losses were enough to turn any stomach, but the way in which they were lost — that was the kicker.
It began with an uninspired loss at Texas A&M. The Tigers quickly turned things around at Jordan-Hare, taking a 28-3 lead on Mississippi State before the roof fell in on the game and the season. Forty points later, it was the Bulldogs that came away with an improbable victory.
It all began to snowball after that. Gut-wrenching 1-score losses at South Carolina (21-17), then in the Iron Bowl (24-22), where simply falling down (rather than stepping out of bounds) probably made the difference. And, finally, the Birmingham Bowl (a 17-13 loss to Houston).
Not exactly what we expected from Harsin in his 1st season, especially after winning his first 2 games on the Plains by a combined score of 122-10. Yes, they were cupcake encounters, but it nevertheless gave us some indication of what the Tigers were capable of. But the Tigers scored 30 or more points in just 4 more games and managed 24 or fewer in 7.
Thank goodness September has finally rolled around, and the focus can officially turn to the 2022 season The AD-less Auburn Tigers and newly-named starting quarterback T.J. Finley raise the curtain on Saturday.
And if you think last year’s pair of season-opening cupcakes created the perfect scenario, this year’s just might top that.
The Tigers begin the season with home games against Southern Conference opponent Mercer (6 p.m. Saturday) and Mountain West foe San Jose State (6:30 p.m. Sept. 10). Now, nothing in life is guaranteed, but if you’re looking to break a 5-game losing streak, the longest single-season slide at Auburn since 2012, then Mercer is your opponent.
Auburn has never lost to the Bears in 12 games. In 9 of those, the Tigers defense pitched shutouts.
Up until the last meeting between the teams, the best the Bears had mustered in any game was 6 points. The most recent encounter, and the first since 1922, resulted in a pedestrian 24-10 victory for the Tigers.
Ancient history aside, the game on Saturday should provide the perfect stage for Finley, and Harsin, and the Tigers, to wipe the slate clean and begin anew with positive results and a new direction for the program. The same is true for San Jose State a week later.
Building a little momentum before Penn State visits Jordan-Hare is crucial if Harsin is to survive another year at Auburn. Then it’s 7 consecutive SEC games (4 at home, 3 away) that will tell the tale.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s take it 1 game at a time and allow Finley to settle in as the Tigers’ top gun. And maybe get him a couple of victories as well. Finley has yet to win (0-3) as the starting quarterback at Auburn. Putting him on the right path should be the 1st order of business. It should be the 1st hurdle cleared on Saturday — or at least, it had better be.
If Harsin is correct and Finley’s progression has continued to be a steady one, Saturday should be a big day for both. The 6-7, 250-pound QB threw 5 TDs and 5 interceptions while at LSU in 2020, but he cut back on INTs significantly in his 1st year at Auburn, tossing just 1 pick against 6 TD passes.
So buckle up for another roller-coaster ride, also known as the Auburn football season. The biggest question has been answered, and Finley has a veteran offensive line in front of him. A solid running game is also expected. So if the Tigers can clamp down in the secondary, everything would be in place to return to their winning ways.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
