Careful Counting Out Auburn, Especially In The Year Of The Tiger
September 5, 2022
Skye Underwood
2022 is the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese zodiac. The zodiac’s tiger symbol represents “strength, exorcising evils and braveness.” If any program in the world of college football needs to “exorcise evils,” it’s certainly Auburn.
And by evils, I’m of course referring to the money-backing boosters lurking in the shadows of Jordan-Hare, who attempted to stage a coup of head coach Bryan Harsin after just one season on the Plains.
And how exactly do you exorcise these evils?
Just win, baby.
After its own boosters tried to sabotage the program over the summer, the perception of Auburn Football was one of doom and gloom entering 2022.
In the 30 years since the SEC split into divisions in 1992, the Auburn Tigers had never been picked to finish last in the SEC West, until this year.
And you certainly can’t blame the media for placing the Tigers dead last in their division in 2022 considering the offseason shenanigans on the Plains.
Harsin was not only tasked with replacing both his offensive and defensive coordinators, and then dealing with the turmoil of the OC search when Austin Davis resigned for personal reasons six weeks after being hired, but there was also a mass-exodus of players who hit the transfer portal including former Auburn golden boy quarterback Bo Nix. When you add an attempted coup of Harsin, you’ve got ugliness tainting the Loveliest Village on the Plains. Through it all, though, Harsin shined in the face of darkness.
Harsin showed strength and leadership when adversity tried to sink its teeth into the program. He not only earned the respect of the Auburn family, but his courage under fire gained the admiration of one of the biggest voices in all of college football in Paul Finebaum.
“I think Bryan Harsin has been a true profile in courage of what you should be as a head football coach,” Finebaum recently said.
For Harsin and his second-year Auburn squad, the season couldn’t get here fast enough because that chip on their shoulder has been replaced with a cinder block.
Enter week one opponent Mercer of the FCS.
Quite frankly, I was thoroughly impressed with how clean and efficient Auburn played. Yes, there was a handful of mistakes, more specifically T.J. Finley’s two interceptions that the Auburn starting quarterback forced into coverage trying to make a play. But when you go back and watch the tape, Finley had a very solid game other than the picks, which led to two Mercer scoring drives. Yes, those two turnovers will get you beat versus a Penn State or a formidable SEC foe, but that’s why you open the season against an opponent like Mercer to work out the initial kinks.
What excited me most about game one? The emergence of former Hoover High School and Oregon Duck redshirt freshman quarterback Robby Ashford, who transferred to Auburn in the offseason. The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder displayed incredible athleticism and speed when he kept the ball on a zone-read after a play-fake to the running back before hitting the sideline and turning on the jets for a 49-yard gain with 5:45 left in the first quarter. Two plays later, Finley delivered a perfect 39-yard strike to receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson capped off by a 2-yard pitch and catch to tight end John Samuel Shenker to put Auburn up 14-0 early.
The former four-star Ashford later showed off his arm with one of the prettiest deep balls you will see when he found Johnson for a 56-yard bomb that fell perfectly into the junior wide receiver’s breadbasket in full stride.
But the play which I thought truly highlights the intense competitive nature of Ashford didn’t come till late in the third quarter after an hour and twenty-seven-minute weather delay.
On just the third play from scrimmage after the long break, Ashford took the snap before turning and handing the ball off to his bell cow Tank Bigsby. The junior running back, who eclipsed 2,000 career rushing yards after picking up 147 yards on Saturday, found space between the tackles before making one cut and popping it outside attempting to follow his blockers and find a seam to the endzone. Suddenly, you see No. 9 (Ashford) flying down the field past Bigsby like a heat-seeking missel in search of a defender to blow up and put on his backside. Ashford’s effort was a MasterClass in want-to.
Ashford gives the Auburn offense an added dimension and extra gear that the Tigers haven’t had since Nick Marshall. While Finley will likely retain the starting job going into week two when Auburn hosts San Jose State, it’s only a matter of time before Ashford takes over the reigns as QB1 if he continues playing with the same fire in his belly that was showcased Saturday night versus Mercer.
The redshirt freshman is far from a finished product at the most important position on the field, but it’s rather evident that Ashford possesses too many positive attributes to keep him on the sidelines. In Auburn’s 42-16 week one win over Mercer, we witnessed a small sample size of what he brings to the table. And if you ask Auburn fans, they want plenty more servings.
The 2022 season might be the year of low expectations for Auburn Football according to the national media, but if Saturday’s win was any indication, it might just be the Year of the Tiger.
