Auburn football: 3 reasons why TJ Finley could take over as QB1

The college football season is reaching week five, and for the Auburn football team, it could signal big changes for the next game. First-year head coach Bryan Harsin surprised many people by sending in LSU transfer TJ Finley and benching third-year starter Bo Nix during the Georgia State matchup.

Following the rough game, wide receivers coach Cornelius Williams was fired on Sunday. Harsin announced his replacement would be former Boise State wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator Eric Kiseau, who was previously working as an analyst for the Tigers.

As Auburn football prepares to open conference play, the QB1 role is up for grabs despite no change to the week 5 depth chart. Though Nix is technically listed as the starter, Harsin said to the media that no official decision has been made, meaning there is a possibility that Finley will get his first start against the team he used to be a part of.

While some think that it’s too early to put that much pressure on Finley, especially during a night game in Death Valley, others think that Nix has had plenty of time to show improvement, and he hasn’t. Harsin also told reporters that they will prepare as usual and expect the whole team to be ready, as it’s impossible to develop a specific game plan for each quarterback.

Here are three reasons why TJ Finley could become Auburn football’s QB1:

Reason #1: Bo Nix’s inconsistency

Bo Nix looked almost surprisingly solid in Auburn’s first two matchups, but of course, they were only against Akron and Alabama State. Nix seemed to revert to his old problems at Penn State, struggling with the deep ball and completing only 21 of 37 passes for 185 and zero touchdowns.

Similarly, in the first half of the Georgia State game, Nix only completed 13 of 27 passes for 156 yards and was still unable to put together a scoring drive. He was passed for 3-9 on third downs, and couldn’t generate any offense for the Tigers against a G5 team even after he had three previous games to get into a rhythm.

Meanwhile, Finley was able to step in and complete 9 of 16 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown. Where Nix struggled to make anything happen, Finley got the job done.

Reason #2: Finley’s composure under pressure

Time and time again, we as Auburn football fans have watched Bo get riled up and discombobulated when the pressure is jacked up in the stadium. Instead of remaining calm and focused, it seems that Nix’s natural response to pressure is scrambling, which leads to chaos and usually a loss of yardage.

However, one can argue that the pressure on TJ Finley’s shoulders on Saturday was huge. To be put into a losing game and turn things around is no easy feat, especially when there’s no way that Finley is taking nearly as many snaps as Nix at practice, and wide receiver Shedrick Jackson pointed that out:

"“People don’t understand. Coming into the game like that – not starting and just waiting a whole half – just coming in and making plays like that, that’s hard to do,” wide receiver Shedrick Jackson said. “He took control of the offense. He was confident and poised. He was ready to go.”"

Multiple times Finley was able to deliver on third down and in the red zone, which has been an issue of Nix’s in the past. Finley seemed to calm down and feel more comfortable the more things heated up, spinning to avoid tackles and maintaining composure to complete passes right up until the second he was tackled.

He has the ability to keep looking downfield and give the receivers an opportunity to make a play even if he’s under serious pressure. Finley’s poise could be what leads to his takeover of the QB1 role.

Reason #3: Harsin’s opportunity to build around Finley

Bo Nix’s days left on the Plains are numbered, and that’s just a fact. Although the junior could technically probably play one or two more seasons on the Plains, Nix has TJ Finley and Dematrius Davis lined up behind him as well as 5-star Holden Geriner on the way in 2022. While Nix is not a bad quarterback, it makes sense for Harsin to gravitate towards building his own team around Finley.

After all, Finley had four years of eligibility when he arrived on the Plains, and though he has one season under his belt at LSU he is very much still in a developmental phase, unlike Bo Nix, who has been coaxed along for nearly three years with little improvement.

It would be unsurprising to see Nix take the field as the starter against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge this weekend, but he’s likely on a very short leash, and if he shows the same level of play in Tiger Stadium there’s no doubt that Harsin will put in Finley after his game-winning drive in JHS:

"“I’m proud of him,” Harsin said. “T.J. works hard. T.J.’s always locked in. … And he played damn good.”"

This past weekend shows us that Bryan Harsin means business and that his top priority when it comes to Auburn football is to win. He expects everyone to prepare and everyone to be ready to support the team during the game.

Though it may not happen as early as this weekend, it’s very possible that TJ Finley could take over as Auburn football’s QB1 before the 2021 season has finished.