Auburn football: 3 questions heading into the Birmingham Bowl

Question #3: What will be the roles of TJ Finley and Dee Davis?

With Bo Nix officially headed to the Oregon Ducks, TJ Finley has been tabbed as QB1 for The Birmingham Bowl. After starting several games at the end of the season due to Nix’s ankle injury and even spraining his own ankle in the Iron Bowl, Finley will be ready to go for Wednesday’s game.

Though the LSU transfer is the official QB1 for the bowl game, he will go through another quarterback competition in the offseason against Dematrius Davis and class of 2022 signee Holden Geriner. But what will Davis’ role be against the Houston Cougars?

After spending his true freshman season way down on the depth chart, Head coach Bryan Harsin confirmed that Davis has started taking snaps in practices and the coaching staff is getting an opportunity to see him play, per AL.com:

"“We’re getting a chance to just see how he can operate,” Harsin said. “We’ve watched him… but we’re getting a chance to see him get some more reps in there. That’s what bowl practices do, and then we’ve got to really hone into the gameplan. But it’s good for him. It’s good for all those guys (who didn’t play as much this season)…. They get an opportunity to get out there and you kind of rotate them in and they get to feel a part of it.”"

Though he will still be playing backup to TJ Finley, the Birmingham Bowl will give Dematrius Davis the opportunity to get some reps in practice and possibly on the field in order to establish himself before the upcoming quarterback competition.