Five things to watch for in Birmingham Bowl between Memphis and Auburn

Oct 31, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) drops back to pass against the Ole Miss Rebels during the first quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

4. Auburn quarterback

This is a pretty obvious position to watch for Auburn, but none-the-less it needs to be addressed. The quarterback situation has been a mess all season, and with two weeks to go before the game Auburn fans are still unsure who will start under center – or 5-feet behind him – on December 30.

Redshirt-freshman Sean White is expected to be fully healthy by the time the bowl game gets here and could get the start. He’s thrown for 1,064 yards on 130 attempts with just one lone touchdown to go along with two interceptions. His completion percentage is just a tick below Johnson’s at 57.7 percent. Neither quarterback has been effective running the ball, but White has picked up just 31 yards on 29 attempts.

If White does get the start, that could mean the end for Jeremy Johnson at Auburn. There have been rumors swirling that the junior quarterback may transfer after this season and look for a fresh start elsewhere; although Malzahn shot down those rumors at the bowl game’s press conference. Johnson has thrown for 1,042 yards on the year with 9 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 156 attempts with a completion percentage of 60.3 percent. He’s also struggled rushing the football as he has a net gain of just 111 yards on 44 attempts; although he does have five rushing touchdowns as he has been used around the goal-line a lot.

Whoever plays in this game will be getting the first audition for what should be a very interesting position battle during the offseason.

Next: Lance Thompson