Ed Orgeron on Auburn quarterback TJ Finley: 'He looks slim'

When Auburn quarterback TJ Finley visits Death Valley on Saturday night, not only will the Louisiana native be returning to his home state, he will be playing at his former school. 

Finley, now a sophomore, played his freshman year at LSU before transferring to Auburn this season to back up their starter, Bo Nix. He is gaining steam among the Auburn faithful, after Nix was benched for Finley in a close game against Georgia State last weekend, and the transfer led a go-ahead touchdown drive in the final moments of the contest. It was the only offensive touchdown Auburn scored on Saturday.

On Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron spoke about Finley’s abilities and how the Tigers are preparing to face their former teammate. 

“Great flexibility, great feet,” Orgeron said of Finley. “TJ’s always been an outstanding athlete.”

As a freshman at LSU, Finley completed 80 of his 140 passes for 941 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. He went 2-3 as the starter.

Auburn’s depth chart for Saturday’s game has Nix listed as the starter, but Harsin called depth charts “old school” on Monday and said he would be preparing both quarterbacks for Death Valley.

One of the storylines over the last few seasons was Finley’s weight loss. He arrived at LSU weighing 265 pounds and dropped 23 pounds by his LSU debut in October of last year. Auburn’s website lists the 6-foot-7 quarterback at 246 pounds. 

“He looks slim, he looks like he’s in good shape, and we’re going to have to contain him,” Orgeron added. “I think that they’re going to spread out with him. He’s going to move. We have to know where’s he’s at, and he can make plays with extending the feet, so we have to be aware of that.”

Finley excited to play in front of 100,000

Finley has played in three of Auburn’s four games this season; he did not see action against Penn State on Sept. 18. He is 13-for-23 with 185 yards and two touchdowns, and he has carried the ball four times for 16 yards and a score.

Finley said earlier this week that he welcomes the opportunity to open SEC play in one of the nation’s most difficult road venues. 

“It’s my homecoming, and I look forward to it,” Finley said. “I just can’t wait to enjoy 100,000 in Tiger Stadium, and whether I’m starting or not, I just want to be part of the team and help the team win in any way possible.”

The Auburn-LSU contest kicks off at 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN. Despite Auburn’s No. 22 ranking, LSU is a 3.5-point favorite as of Thursday morning.