Auburn will open up a two-game home stretch on Saturday as it hosts Ball State for Kickoff on The Plains.
The Tigers are currently a 43.5-point favorite in Saturday’s matchup and are coming off an impressive 38-24 win over Baylor to start the season. On the other hand, Ball State is coming off a 31-0 loss to Purdue last week. ESPN’s Bill Connelly has the Cardinals ranked at 135th out of 136 FBS teams in the SP+ rankings after Week 1.
Simply put, Auburn is expected to win by a large margin, and should it handle business, there will be ample opportunity for some freshmen to get in on the action.
Here are freshmen who could see an uptick in playing time on Saturday:
QB Deuce Knight
All eyes will be on true freshman Deuce Knight on Saturday if the Tigers go up big.
Head coach Hugh Freeze stated on Thursday that Knight, if the Tigers opt to bring in another quarterback later in the game, will be the first to trot out under center.
“First, let’s win the game, and whatever that takes — and should we need another quarterback to go in, Deuce will go in,” Freeze said on Thursday.
The former five-star southpaw was one of two scholarship quarterbacks to take snaps during spring ball and has consistently split reps throughout fall camp with Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels.
Freeze stated during camp that he wouldn’t hesitate to throw Knight into some game action and said that “As far as sitting in there and making the throw, he’s ready. He can do that.”
Saturday, perhaps, could be the first time we see Knight in action, sporting the orange and blue.
S Eric Winters
With Champ Anthony sidelined after suffering a broken thumb against Baylor, Freeze stated on Monday that Winters could be a guy who will get more reps.
The Enterprise, AL, native logged 16 snaps against Baylor with three tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted an 80.2 tackling grade – the highest of all the safeties – and nearly intercepted Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson in the end zone.
S AnQuon Fegans
Another intriguing young prospect who could see his snap count shoot up in Anthony’s absence is AnQuon Fegans.
Fegans only logged one snap against the Bears last week. Freeze mentioned him as someone who is ready, athletically, but that he did not have a great grasp of Baylor’s offensive game plan.
Fegans’ ball-hawk ability as a standout at Thompson High (AL) was always on full display. He tallied 22 interceptions at Thompson, with six coming in his senior year.
Some reps against the Cardinals, who only posted 87 yards through the air last week, which is 131st in the nation, could be just what Fegans needs to build some confidence.
DL Darrion Smith
A late flip from Tennessee on Signing Day, Smith is someone who quickly impressed upon his arrival, despite being a part of a loaded freshman defensive line class
Smith saw action late in the game against Baylor and logged eight snaps, posting an 82.2 PFF grade.
“We probably should have played him more. His production – now, he was fresh – but his production at the end, he was a factor. He was harassing the quarterback pretty well. I thought he made the most of his opportunities, which, ultimately should lead to more opportunities,” Freeze said on Monday.
Smith could be a guy on Saturday who sees action in the early goings, not needing much of an Auburn lead to make his way onto the field.
LB Bryce Deas
Bryce Deas is a young guy that Freeze described as “so dang aggressive” during camp. However, being that aggressive as a linebacker has its drawbacks. Simply meaning, you can overplay a run and not stay in your fit – where you’re supposed to be.
But Deas made his mark last week on special teams, laying a crucial block on RaShawn Pleasant’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. And those are the types of plays that will keep you on the field as a freshman.
He and his freshman counterpart, Elijah Melendez – who logged 19 snaps against Baylor – could see a lot more action. Saturday offers Deas a great opportunity to get his feet wet and prepare for when/if his number is called down the road.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.