Former 5-star Auburn quarterback Deuce Knight left the Tigers in the offseason after Alex Golesh replaced the coach who recruited Knight, Hugh Freeze, and brought in his quarterback from USF, Byrum Brown. On Saturday, Knight scored a painful touchdown for Tiger fans against his old team during a 45-15 Ole Miss win over Auburn at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
It was hardly a last laugh, since many attributed the culture problems in the locker room to players like Knight, who weren't explicitly winning games anyway. Still, it was another tough pill to swallow during a highly frustrating game. It was a two-point game in the third quarter that escalated into a blowout that looks atrocious when reading the box score.
Knight's 17-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run put the Rebels up by 29. Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding had pulled starter Trinidad Chambliss after the game was fully out of hand, though Chambliss was able to amass 328 all-purpose yards and three all-purpose touchdowns beforehand.
ESPN commentators Matt Schumacker and Aaron Murray noted that Knight was the quarterback of the future in Oxford, Mississippi. It naturally made one wonder about the position on the Plains beyond this season.
Auburn's uncertain future at QB makes Deuce Knight TD more painful
Knight is secure behind center for the Rebels moving forward once Chambliss is out of eligibility in a few months. What Auburn's plan at quarterback is for next season is anyone's guess, though.
Brown is out of eligibility, though whether or not he has an NFL future is a great question. His size will at least get him through the door.
Is Tristan Ti'a the answer in 2027 and beyond? Many Tiger fans are actively rooting against that idea right now. There should be plenty of big names in the transfer portal, and most would be disappointed if Golesh didn't land one.
We'll see how the rest of the 2026 season goes. If Brown were to go down at any point and Ti'a impressed in relief, he'd change that narrative quickly.
With October going about as poorly as most feared, with the Georgia upset further in the past and blowout losses to LSU and Ole Miss following them up, and November offering several chances to be deeply disappointed with a loss to either Arkansas or Mississippi State, most Auburn fans aren't excited about the idea of the current backup being the answer, though.
Add us as a preferred source on Google