Auburn football turns back to Jackson Arnold at QB in second half vs Kentucky
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AUBURN — Hugh Freeze made the decision Friday to name Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels the starting quarterback against Kentucky in Week 10.
The anticipated first start from Daniels was lacking the spark that Freeze consistently mentions when it comes to Auburn football and its quarterbacks. Despite the hype of the crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium when Daniels was announced as the starter, the Stanford transfer failed to deliver the spark.
Freeze made the switch back to Jackson Arnold in the third quarter after Daniels failed to get anything on the first offensive possession. An 11-play, 43-yard drive ended in Auburn‘s fifth punt after Daniels took a sack on third down.
“We’ve got to get in there and talk about it, because they’re doing a really good job on defense for us and we’re not creating any momentum right now, so we’ve got to get in there and talk about what’s the best option for us, for sure,” Freeze told ESPN’s Alyssa Lang when asked about Auburn’s QB situation heading into halftime.
“You’ve got to turn the ball loose. I think we’ve got 1-on-1s there, like on the fourth down, and you’ve just got to turn it loose. Give our guys a chance. I do think we found a little something in the run game, so that’ll help us stay ahead of the chains.”
During the Arnold era, Auburn opened its last three games scoring a touchdown on its opening offensive drive. That streak was snapped against Kentucky with Daniels under center. Auburn went into halftime with only 117 yards on 36 plays with Daniels under center.
Auburn’s opening drive lasted five plays for a total of 11-yards and 2:45 off the clock with Daniels taking the snaps for Auburn. The Tigers didn’t fair any better in the second quarter, possessing the ball two times for 11 plays and 28 yards and turning the ball over on downs after Daniels took a sack on fourth down.
It wasn’t just the opening drive that Auburn’s offense faced issues, the Tigers possessed the ball three times in the first quarter, garnering 63 yards on 19 plays. All three of Auburn’s drives in the first quarter resulted in punts. Daniels completed eight passes for 59 yards, tallying 57 rushing yards on 13 attempts.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football makes QB change in second half vs Kentucky
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