Auburn football down 2 quarterbacks ahead of SEC opener

Well, there is not a lot of good news coming from the Auburn football program just days before they face the Missouri Tigers from Jordan-Hare Stadium in their SEC opener. All throughout the offseason fans have been waiting for answers regarding the Tigers’ quarterback situation, and nearly four weeks into the 2022 season, there are very few answers.

This week, fans will get some of those answers, though they may not like them very much. It was announced earlier today that Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada, who was allegedly warming up on the sidelines and preparing to play in the Penn State game, will now apply for a medical redshirt and undergo a second shoulder surgery.

According to Auburn Live, the decision was a difficult one for Calzada, who truly was competing for the QB1 role and was prepared to play up until this week. Now, he will miss the remainder of the season and go through four months of rehab following the upcoming surgery. As of now, he plans to rehab on the Plains and compete for a starting job again in the spring.

Calzada’s decision to redshirt comes right on the heels of the news that starting quarterback TJ Finley will be unavailable this weekend due to a shoulder injury sustained in last week’s game. With the official QB1 out and Calzada no longer being an option, the keys to the offense will now be handed to Robby Ashford and–potentially–true freshman Holden Geriner.

It’s possible that giving Ashford the chance to run the offense on a more consistent basis will improve the rhythm of Auburn football’s offense, and maybe the run game will pick up this weekend with Ashford and Bigsby on the field more often.

It’s clear that things have to improve from last weekend or things are only going to get worse for the Tigers.