Auburn football: The 5 biggest questions heading into Week 3 vs. Penn State

Will T.J. Finley continue to improve under center?

His Week 1 showing against Mercer was wholly uninspiring and the first quarter, particularly the first couple of drives, of the San Jose State matchup gave many serious doubts that T.J. Finley could be the guy under center.

Luckily, Finley improved throughout the game for the second straight week and his fourth down conversion to Tank Bigsby following a botched snap was an ode to his fourth-down TD throw to Shedrick Jackson against Georgia State Week 3 of the 2021 season to save that season before it made its November downturn.

Finley has the best command of the offense and is the best option for QB1 against Penn State given his big-game experience. If he could have a game-manager like performance just as he did in last year’s Iron Bowl, a strong ground game could help get the job done if the defense holds up their end of the bargain.

Can Robby Ashford continue to be a change-of-pace big-play rusher?

Robby Ashford’s interception against San Jose State was tragic in many ways — it showed that Auburn football may have to take its time with the Oregon transfer as a passer until he displays more accuracy on his throws.

With that said, he ripped off a momentum-building 30-yard run in the fourth quarter that shows that he can still contribute. Given the top two rushers for Ohio against Penn State in Week 2 were QBs, Ashford definitely has a place under center for change-of-pace packages.