Bryce Young is Alabama’s Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback. He has never started against Auburn.
If that’s the case, then T.J. Finley, the Tigers’ starter, has an advantage entering Saturday’s Iron Bowl. In a 55-17 loss to LSU’s third-ranked Crimson Tide, Finley was benched and eventually lost his job to Max Johnson.
Young is undoubtedly the most prominent quarterback in the state. He is a leading Heisman contender and has just completed a record-setting performance with a team that is still in a position to win the Southeastern Conference title.
Bryan Harsin, Auburn’s coach at the time, said that he had seen him play in high-school and that he was a very talented player. He has since improved even more.” You can see his maturity and growth through this season.
Finley made his Auburn debut in a defeat at South Carolina after the season-ending ankle injury suffered by Bo Nix. Last season, Finley was a 14-of-28 runner for 144 yards against Alabama before Johnson replaced him.
Finley stated, “I think the difference here at Auburn is that it’s an Iron Bowl.” “At LSU, it’s just another rivalry game. But here it’s something special. It’s an incredible experience to be part of it.”
Finley was transferred to Auburn in the spring after falling behind Myles Brennan and Johnson.
Nick Saban, Alabama coach, said that Finley was a “very good, capable quarterback who can play plays.” “He’s big. He has a strong arm. He is very accurate with the ball. He has been part of the offense for all of last year. He has some experience.
Both Iron Bowl passers have different pedigrees and career paths. Young played mainly on the bench with Mac Jones, a Heisman finalist, as a freshman. Finley was able to start five games for LSU.
Finley, a three-star recruit, was rated the 37th-best dual-threat quarterback and No. 499 prospect overall. Young was the No. 2 dual threat quarterback in the country and was also the No. According to 247Sports composite rankings, Young was the No. 2 overall recruit for 2020.
Last weekend, his Alabama record 559 passing yards against No. Finley’s season totals were topped by 25 Arkansas (four touchdowns, 463 yards) and no interceptions in limited action.
CJ Stroud, Ohio State’s quarterback, has taken Young as the Heisman favourite, according FanDuel Sportsbook.
He still has the Iron Bowl against No. 1 Georgia and the SEC Championship Game. He still has the Iron Bowl and the SEC Championship Game against No.
Will Anderson, the Tide’s linebacker, said that Young was his other big star. Anderson met Young at an all-star high school game and immediately knew that Anderson would be a Heisman candidate.
“Bryce’s very intelligent. Anderson stated that he is confident you can see on the football field, but he has taken classes with me and Bryce is an intelligent person. Anderson said that Anderson’s ability to play on the football field is amazing. He is very intelligent on the field. He’s impressive in terms of the numbers and stats he has for this year. It is amazing how he managed everything, especially last season.
“I feel that he is a great person off the field, and I feel like him to be very, very very, very very, very very, very talented.”
Finley arrived in Auburn to compete with Nix. Finley proved his point when he was called to the bench to replace a struggling Nix. He then threw the decisive touchdown pass in a win over Georgia State.
However, his first start was a 17-of 32, 188-yard performance against the Gamecocks. He now faces a team that has been much more celebrated.
Finley acknowledges that he might have a chip on his shoulders “as an opponent.”
He said, “But it’s about not what he has done, it is not about their actions.” It’s all about Auburn. We’ll win as long as Auburn does the right things. As a competitor, I want to do better than any other quarterback.
“But at the end of it all, as long as my job is done within our system, I believe we’ll be okay.”
