Analyzing Deuce Knight’s Starting Debut

With Auburn’s 62-17 win over Mercer, the storyline was the debut of freshman quarterback Deuce Knight. Auburn is now 5-6 ahead of the Iron Bowl vs. tenth-ranked Alabama this weekend. There were plenty of fireworks and standout performances, but none quite like Knight’s. Before starting Saturday’s game, Knight had seen only a handful of garbage time snaps as the Tigers’ third-string quarterback. On Saturday, he played deep into the fourth quarter, completed 15 of his 20 passing attempts for 239 yards and two touchdowns, and added 162 yards on the ground with four rushing touchdowns.  His six total touchdowns tied a program record also held by Auburn legends Cam Newton and Cadillac Williams. With only a week’s notice, he’d be going from third string to starting a game, interim head coach D.J. Durkin noted Knight’s preparation and demeanor as keys to his success on Saturday. 

“How he handles himself and carries himself, he has the demeanor to be a great quarterback. Nothing’s ever too big. When I met with him about how we were going to do this and that he was going to be the starter, he was just kind of like ‘okay’. He doesn’t really get up and down, so a bad play doesn’t tank him and a great play doesn’t drive him off the rails; he just kind of stays steady. I think that’s a trait of a great player, and especially a great quarterback. You’ve got to be that way. You’ve got to go to the next play. Deuce has that quality about him, and he’s pretty unique,” Durkin said postgame. 

While his coach sang high praise and his statistics even higher, his play on the field showed that Knight can be the quarterback of the future for the Tigers.

On the Ground

Outside of being a five-star quarterback out of Mississippi, Knight was also a star track and field athlete. On the first play from scrimmage, that elite athleticism produced an iconic debut moment for Knight. He dropped back, made multiple reads across the field, saw the linebackers drop, and took off. What followed was a 75-yard dash for Knight that ended in the first of his six scores.  

Again, before the end of the 1st quarter on a 3rd and 10-play, he went through his progressions again before deciding to run, this time resulting in a 51-yard score. His ability to stay patient and make reads downfield before deciding to run showed he already possesses one of the most important traits for young quarterbacks with his skill set. Far too often in college football do dual-threat signal callers drop their eyes and run, almost abusing their running ability, which can result in a lack of ability to process a defense. This has especially shown up at the next level in quarterbacks like Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson. 

Along with the speed, Knight showed an ability to shed contact while carrying the ball. On a designed run, Knight broke a tackle attempt, spun out of another, and scored again from nine yards out. 

With four total rushing touchdowns, Knight became the first Auburn quarterback to do so since Cam Newton’s 2010 Heisman-winning season. 

Through the Air

Despite an impressive debut running the ball, Knight’s passing attempts inspire even more confidence. Over the course of his 20 attempts, he was on time, made the right read on almost every play, and stayed calm in the pocket. This all comes with the caveat that it was against Mercer’s passing defense, which ranks 100th in FCS. However, the comfort and processing were still impressive for a true freshman.

Against a middling FCS defense, this was the perfect opportunity for Durkin and offensive coordinator Derrick Nix to evaluate Knight. They gave him a simple playbook to let him develop rhythm and chemistry with his receivers. Cam Coleman was the target on two of his best throws. One was a beautiful goal-line fade for a score, and the other was a nicely placed 50-50 ball that Coleman dropped. 

Knight’s most natural target, however, was sophomore receiver Malcolm Simmons. On five catches, Simmons racked up 149 yards, highlighted by a 91-yard touchdown. When breaking inside/outside or coming back towards the ball on a curl, Knight’s passes to him were always already there. 

Work Ahead

As is natural with a young quarterback, there were some avoidable mistakes. Some throws were just behind on crossers and slants, and two incompletions on curl routes were simply overthrown. These are simple fixes that will come with time. The good news is that Knight already showed he can make some of the harder plays despite a lack of experience. 

“The best part was Deuce was making the right decisions and delivering the ball where it was supposed to go. There were a couple of those plays where it wasn’t quite how it was designed, but he just went and made a play, and that’s what we’ve seen from Deuce in practice and know that he’s capable of. It was really cool to watch him go do it in a game atmosphere, and that guy’s got some great football ahead of him,” Durkin said after the game. 

While Ashton Daniels was named the starter vs. Alabama, Knight staked his claim as the future of Auburn’s signal caller.