Auburn football: Assessing the QB situation ahead of Penn State

Game three will be the biggest one yet for Auburn football this year, and may end up being the biggest home game of the season as the Tigers host the Penn State Nittany Lions at Jordan-Hare Stadium a year after Auburn’s trip to Happy Valley.

Penn State opened up as the favorite early in the week leading up to the game, which is not extremely surprising given the way the Tigers performed against San Jose State. However, after a close loss to the Nittany Lions last season, there is a lot on the line for many of the players in this rematch.

But will the Tigers be able to send the Nittany Lions back home with a loss? Many were hoping to see improvement from the Auburn football team in week two, and potentially more clarity on the quarterback situation. Unfortunately, clarity was not received.

While Finley threw his third pick in two games, he also had some good moments where he demonstrated his capability to lead the team and think like an actual quarterback. After his own interception, Ashford all but quit throwing passes but still impressed on his feet. As for Zach Calzada, he remained on the sidelines for the second week in a row.

There was a significant amount of wiggle room for Finley, Ashford, and the offense to figure things out in the Tigers’ first two matchups, but things start to get serious in Week 3, and the margin for error decreases dramatically. Will we ever see Zach Calzada? Will Harsin continue to rotate Finley and Ashford against a bigger opponent?

It’s probable that versus Penn State, Finley will be primarily in control with Ashford getting in on the action here and there. If Finley can crank things up and show everyone he is capable of leading Auburn football to a serious victory, there may be hope yet for a successful season.