In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, head coach Hugh Freeze discusses expanded roles for wide receiver Malcolm Simmons and tight end Micah Riley
While the defense struggled on Saturday, the Auburn football offense looked like a whole new squad compared to their performance against Cal. Led by redshirt freshman Hank Brown at quarterback, the Tigers marched down the field and scored touchdowns with a confidence that was missing when Payton Thorne held the reins.
But Brown wasn't the only player to catch the eyes of the coaching staff over the past two weeks. The Tigers have had some issues with injuries to start off the season, meaning there has been a bit of shuffling and testing of the depth at several positions, and a few young players have stood out.
Malcolm Simmons, a freshman member of the Freeze Four wide receiver squad, has pleasantly surprised the coaches with his speed and ability. As for why he has not seen the field more, Freeze pointed to some mistakes that are typical of a freshman but didn't knock him for it. Still, Freeze agrees Simmons should see the field more.
“Talent wise, he deserves to be on the field some,” Freeze said, per AL.com. “I’ll find another box on the call sheet that just says Malcolm.”
Another player who fans can expect to see more of is third-year sophomore tight end Micah Riley. After veteran Brandon Frazier suffered a broken foot in Saturday's game against New Mexico, Riley was forced to step up and hit the field.
"He's definitely improved," Freeze said of Riley, per Auburn Undercover. "He's matured in handling how you go about doing things in general. We're thrilled we have him and we're going to need him a lot now. He's going to play a lot of snaps. Between he, Rivaldo and Luke, they have different skill sets. We're going to use them all."
Simmons, Riley, and the Auburn football program return to action this weekend in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the opening of SEC play against Arkansas.