ATLANTA — Tempo is one of the staples of Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn's offense, so it makes sense that he would be in a little more of hurry than most to name a starting quarterback.
In each of the five quarterback battles Malzahn has been a part of either as Auburn's offensive coordinator (2009-2011) or head coach (2013-present), he has named a starting quarterback prior to the season. The latest he has named a starting quarterback was as Auburn's coordinator in 2011, when he named Barrett Trotter the No. 1 guy on Aug. 18, according to the school.