Former Auburn starter’s homecoming spoiled despite 300-yard day

Former Auburn football starting quarterback TJ Finley had his homecoming game in his native Louisiana spoiled by the Ragin’ Cajuns, who came back late to knock off Texas State 34-30 on October 7 in yet another 300-yard game from Finley.

The loss knocks Finley’s Bobcats down to 4-2 for the season after Texas State entered the Week 6 matchup as a slight underdog. Finley had 326 total passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception late in the loss.

The Ponchatoula native now has 12 touchdowns and two interceptions in his first season upon transferring from the Plains to San Marcos.

Auburn football transfer never had a fair shot at succeeding in the SEC

Now that Finley has proven himself in GJ Kinne’s offense, it’s fair to look at his two years at Auburn under Bryan Harsin and his one season in the second-to-last year of Coach O’s tenure in Baton Rouge and wonder if it was his surroundings that held the QB back.

Finley looks like a much different quarterback, and while it’s easy to say that’s because of the step down in competition to the Group of Five, the reality is that Texas State is better prepared to compete in the Sun Belt than any of those three teams were in the SEC.

Ed Oregeron’s final two years coaching LSU were marred by rumors of him not taking his practices seriously, obviously causing his players to do the same, and a generally lax attitude after being led to the 2019/20 College Football Playoff Championship by Joe Burrow.

Harsin’s stint has been well-documented, but to recap, allegations of verbal abuse of his players and an extramarital affair, the latter of which turned out to be false, sunk the Boise native’s second season before it even started and undoubtedly inspired losing in his first.

Finley is now thriving, and instead of blaming the competition for why he is, blame the coaching for why he wasn’t during his three SEC seasons.