Auburn football could call on Holden Geriner this Saturday afternoon against Missouri if Robby Ashford ends up struggling in an expected start. T.J. Finley is out due to a shoulder injury, per AL.com’s Tom Green.
It’s unclear how long Finley will be out, but with the Tigers’ starting signal-caller coming out of fall camp out in Week 4, Bryan Harsin appears set to figure out what his freshman gunslinger has in him. Harsin’s job could depend on finding the solution under center as soon as possible.
In late August, Harsin was complimentary of the Savannah, Georgia product. In fact, his praise reached hyperbolic levels — the long-time Boise State head coach and former Texas quarterbacks coach said Geriner was one of the best throwers he had ever coached:
"“Holden hasn’t a ton of reps, (but) Holden comes out there today and he’s firing the ball better than all of them, in my opinion. We’re trying to do these drills, and all of the sudden Holden comes out of nowhere and he’s one of the best throwers that I’ve coached. He’s getting some things figured out fundamentally.”"
Zach Calzada and Robby Ashford set to compete for starting Auburn football QB job
There was quite an uncomfortable scene at this past Monday’s press conference due to a reporter asking about a health update on Zach Calzada. Bryan Harsin chewed out the AP reporter in a condescending matter:
Auburn HC Bryan Harsin asked by @jzenor if QB Zach Calzada is 100% in terms of health right now
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 19, 2022
Harsin: "You know something I don't?"
JZ: "No."
JH: "He's competed like everybody else. Those guys, every single week get those opportunities. And we try to play the best players."
Per On3’s Justin Hokanson, Calzada will be competing for the starting nod this week against Robby Ashford:
confirming the T.J. Finley news as tweeted by @Tomas_Verde -- he is unavailable for the game against Missouri
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) September 20, 2022
sources also told me yesterday that Robby Ashford and Zach Calzada would compete this week for the starting nod -- more on that inside
(On3+) 🔗 https://t.co/ng4DANKVlT pic.twitter.com/TnkdXDoioT
A critical game will be followed by an urgent week of practice. Who ultimately leads the charge this Saturday in the fourth quarter will be a fascinating question to ponder about for the next few days, though.