Last Saturday, transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels made his Auburn Tigers debut with less than a minute to play in the first half of the game against Arkansas. Jackson Arnold through a red zone interception and was benched for the remainder of the game.
While there are a lot of areas one can point to as reasons for Auburn's past few losses, there was obviously a microscope on Arnold over the past few weeks, with many looking at Arnold's hot starts that melt into sputtering finishes.
Daniels gave the Tigers the spark they needed on offense to win the game against Arkansas, but it wasn't enough to solidify his status as QB1. Head coach Hugh Freeze said on Monday that there would be an open competition between Arnold and Daniels leading up to the Kentucky game.
When asked for a midweek update on who would be leading the Tigers' offense against the Wildcats, Freeze was still not ready to commit to one or the other.
“Through two practices, they both are really great guys that prepare well. They are getting us in the right things, getting the protections the right way, making accurate throws for the most part, so it’s hard to decipher the difference in practice. That’s what been so difficult,” Freeze said, per Auburn Live. “We’re looking for a spark. Ashton has the capacity to play really well. It’s going to be a tough call. I’m not quite ready to make it yet. I have confidence in both of them."
Against Arkansas, Daniels completed six of his eight passing attempts for 77 yards with an additional 35 rushing yards. Arnold completed seven of his 12 passing attempts for 73 yards.
With so much on the line for the Tigers at this point in the season, it would feel backwards for Freeze to give Arnold the starting nod again, but Daniels may begin the game ready to come off the bench.