MENU
Mar 28, 2024
www.accessauburn.com
Find us on Facebook
5 quick takeaways from Auburn’s A-Day game
We’ve officially gotten our first look at the 2019 Auburn Tigers. Sure, it was only a scrimmage, but the annual A-Day spring game can sometimes provide answers fans are craving to know.

With the Orange team defeating the Blue team 28-10, there were a few things that stood out. Here’s a quick look at five things we noticed at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

No separation at QB

No one expected a starting quarterback to be named after A-Day, but there wasn’t even much separation between Malik Willis, Joey Gatewood, Cord Sandberg and Bo Nix. The good news, however, is that they all looked really good.

All four quarterbacks played for both teams, with freshman Nix throwing for a game-high 155 yards on 11 of 17 passing, adding two touchdowns. Gatewood also threw two touchdowns. He had 130 yards on 8 of 11 passing.

Willis threw for 95 yards on 9 of 10 passing and had a touchdown. Sandberg completed 8 of his 9 attempts, throwing for 54 yards.

As expected, the battle will continue into the spring and likely into the fall, but the good news for Tiger fans is Auburn should have a ready back-up and maybe even third-string QB on roster.

Best WR corps in the nation?

The answer might be yes, but even if Auburn’s receivers aren’t the best in FBS, they might be close. The A-Day game was honestly a short highlight reel for sophomore Seth Williams and welcoming party for redshirt freshman Matthew Hill.

Williams earned offensive MVP honors for his 103 receiving yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. Hill also had two touchdowns, totaling 128 yards on five receptions.

Not to be forgotten, Eli Stove hauled in four passes for 63 yards and a score. In total, Auburn’s passing game totaled a combined 476 yards.

Standby for defensive answers

For anyone hoping for defensive answers during A-Day, those aren’t as easy to find. What is concrete is Derrick Brown, who was named the defensive MVP after making four tackles and two sacks. Also, Jamien Sherwood had a game-high seven tackles.

But beyond that, there isn’t much to tell. The coaching staff will continue meshing different guys in the front seven and secondary during the summer and fall and we’ll see how the defense looks in late August.

Who is RB2?

Jatarvious Whitlow looked in good shape during the spring scrimmage, rushing for 44 yards on seven carries. So, with RB1 averaging 6.3 yards per carry and still looking to remain RB1, who’s the next guy to get carries?

One guy to keep an eye on is freshman D.J. Williams. Williams looked good, especially on a game-long 29-yard carry. He finished the day with 56 yards on 10 carries.

Kam Martin rushed for 20 yards on three carries. Harold Joiner added 21 yards on six carries.

The kicking game still has it

It wouldn’t be an Auburn football story without mentioning field goals.

Anders Carlson attempted only one field goal, but he drilled a 46-yarder. That should make every Tiger fan happy.

Punter Arryn Siposs got a lot of work, booming nine total punts. He averaged 46.4 yards per punt and had a long of 59 yards.