Auburn quarterback Jonathan Wallace to start Saturday against New Mexico State

After an impressive performance in mop-up duty during last week's 63-21 loss to Texas A&M, true freshman quarterback Jonathan Wallace has been tabbed as the starter for Auburn's upcoming game against New Mexico State. Wallace was 6 of 9 for 122 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Aggies.

Jonathan Wallace will start against New Mexico State this weekend.

— Jay G. Tate (@JayGTate) October 30, 2012

Kiehl Frazier will be Wallace's backup Saturday, as Clint Moseley is sidelined with an ankle injury. Freshman wide receiver Ricardo Louis, who played quarterback in high school, will serve as the emergency third QB.

Wallace will hopefully be able to provide a spark at a position that has been one of Auburn's biggest weaknesses this season. Frazier started the year at quarterback, and Moseley had been the Tigers' No. 1 since the second half of the Arkansas game. But neither player has performed well, combining to complete 58.4 percent of their passes for 1,292 yards, six touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

After seeing Wallace play well against A&M, many Auburn fans wondered why he hadn't been given a shot earlier in the season. The decision to keep Wallace on the bench has been perceived as another instance of head coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler failing in their duties.

Wallace will be the first true freshman since Kodi Burns against New Mexico State in 2007 to start at quarterback for Auburn. The Tigers rank 123rd in the country in total offense, 122nd in scoring offense and 115th in passing offense. With any luck -- well, a lot of luck -- Wallace might be able to turn things around before rivalry games against Georgia and Alabama