Tray Matthews had an eventful A-Day scrimmage in his first game in Jordan-Hare since he and Josh Harvey-Clemons failed to knock down a pass that landed in the hands of Ricardo Louis in the play that became known as the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare.”
Saturday was Redemption Day for Matthews.
The former Georgia defensive back who transferred to Auburn after the 2013 season, this time held onto a pass thrown his way, picking off backup QB Tyler Queen.
That resulted in some ribbing from former teammate and UGA linebacker Amarlo Herrera.
Matthews also recovered a fumble on his way to being named the defensive MVP.
Matthews was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after his interception.
"It felt great," Matthews told AL.com. "Family was out there. Great fans. It was an overwhelming feeling. I'm blessed to be in this position. I'm taking advantage of every opportunity I have."
He caught the eye of new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp earlier this spring.
“A guy that obviously has made some mistakes, learned from his mistake and moved on from those,” Muschamp said. “But I’ve been pleased with his maturity level.”
Matthews will start at safety in the fall.
“Tray is a specimen of a dude,” Auburn secondary coach Travaris Robinson told AL.com earlier this spring. “He’s a big dude with great energy and a tough guy. He’s going to be a heck of a leader for us back there.”
