While planning for the Missouri game, there were whispers that Auburn Tigers Head Coach Hugh Freeze and his staff were considering a personnel change at the quarterback position. Ultimately, Jackson Arnold got the starting nod and had a strong first half, but he just couldn't lead the offense to victory.
With four straight conference losses under the team's belt, something has got to give, and the coaching staff knows it. Previously, Freeze made it known that he intended to redshirt Stanford transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels, who arrived on the Plains over the summer. However, all bets are off when Auburn football is having such a lack of success.
"Not anymore," Freeze said, per Auburn Undercover, when asked about Daniels' potential redshirt. "We are going to play to win. He's prepared to play the last few (games), but if you go watch the game and you're watching it live, it's really hard to complain about Jackson (Arnold) in the first half of the last two games, for sure. That game could have easily been 14-0 after the second drive, and Jackson was playing at a high level. We have to get that consistency throughout the game or we have to go find a spark."
Heading into Week 9, the Auburn football program has got to find a way to be successful and win games, and that means Arnold's leash is incredibly short. Freeze also said at his weekly press conference that Daniels would have "lots of reps" this week at practice and he would be ready to go for the Tigers' matchup against Arkansas.
Still, the expectation is that Arnold will start, and he will have the opportunity to prove himself before a change would be made.
The Tigers return to action on the road this weekend against the Arkansas Razorbacks with kick-off set for 11:45 a.m.