With the opening day of college football just a little over a week away, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze made an interesting statement Monday night on his coaches' show: he intends to play three quarterbacks against Baylor.
It might come as a shock to some who thought that Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold was going to be the only quarterback starting this season but when asked if he plans to play all three quarterbacks, Freeze quickly said, “Yes.”
Auburn’s play-by-play man, Andy Burcham, who appeared on the McElroy and Cubic Morning Show, explains that Arnold is still the man down on the Plains, but Freeze may just want to see what the other quarterbacks can do.
"I think it was more of a confidence he has in Ashton and Deuce if they need to play. I don't think there's any question that Jackson's the guy, he's been the guy since he's stepped on campus."
Videos were seen last week of Freeze pitching a fit during practice when Arnold made a mistake, so despite what Burcham is saying, it is strange for a coach to say he is planning on playing all three of his quarterbacks in a game as big as this one.
It’s understandable if Auburn was playing a lesser opponent, but Baylor is no pushover, and for Freeze to say he plans to play all three quarterbacks to start the season is either a smart strategy on his part or a dumb one.
Some analysts think this is just gamemanship on Freeze’s part to keep the Bears guessing on who is starting so they can prepare for all three. If that is the case, Burcham may have just blown Freeze’s cover by admitting Arnold is starting.