Auurnn's offense needed a spark in the worst of ways. Down 21-10 after a pick-six by Jackson Arnold with the Tigers in Arkansas' red zone, Hugh Freeze made a decision that might have altered Auburn's season: bench Arnold and go with Ashton Daniels.
It's not like Daniels did anything spectacular in the 33-24 Auburn victory. The Stanford transfer completed 6-of-8 passes for 77 yards. But it was what he didn't do —turn the ball over and take costly sacks —that was a difference-maker for the Tigers.
Following the win, Daniels talked about how this team has stayed in the fight despite everything that has gone wrong this season.
"I mean, this team just continues to fight every single week," Daniels said per Auburn Undercover. "Obviously, we've been fighting the past couple weeks. It hasn't gone our way, but we just continue to fight. That's what I love about this team. Our theme this week was fight club. You're just gonna stand in there and fight when things get hard, and things got hard in the first half, and our guys just continue to go out there and fight and fight and fight. It came out on our side."
Freeze's decision came right before halftime. Auburn had the ball at Arkansas' 15-yard line when the quarterback tried an out route. The Arkansas defender read the play perfectly and went untouched 89 yards to the end zone.
"The decision that Jackson made obviously wasn't a great one," Freeze said. "They were in a two-high shell. We're running the football, and we got to be smart and take what they give us."
Arnold never took another snap as he was benched for the first time this season. It was a decision that had been coming for a week, as Freeze announced on Monday that both Arnold and Daniels would be getting reps during practice. The pick-six was the final straw for Arnold, whose first-quarter touchdown pass to Cam Coleman was his first in four games.
Daniels came in and got the job done.
"It feels amazing," Daniels said postgame. "Just a dream come true to play SEC ball and to get my first win on the road. It's just so exciting. It's a testament to all the hard work that I've put in. It's testament to my faith, giving God all the glory for everything. Always staying prepared, being ready to go when my name is called."
Freeze praised Daniels after the game for how he handled the situation.
"He's got this maturity and poise about him," Freeze said postgame. "Obviously, he's a college graduate and has played in a lot of big football games, so it's not going to be something that overwhelms him. And just thought it was time."