Auburn’s secondary struggled to keep up with Cal’s passing attack early in Saturday’s 21-14 loss.

Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza played a nearly flawless first half and Cal’s receivers were consistently winning one-on-one battles with Auburn’s corners early on.

With increased pressure on the quarterback in the second half, things became easier for the defense, but the game highlighted potential vulnerabilities in Auburn’s secondary.

Veteran starting corner Keionte Scott was picked on by Cal early in the game and Scott only played sparingly in the second half. Hugh Freeze said this was due to a lingering hamstring issue Scott has dealt with since fall camp.

“We need him desperately,” Freeze told reporters Monday. “He only played in dire situations in the second half, and we really need him to play the majority of the snaps, so hopefully we can get him healthy.”

Scott’s nagging injury led to increased snaps for Alabama transfer Antonio Kite at corner. Kite got beat in one-on-one coverage for Cal’s first touchdown of the game, but Scott was pleased with how his young teammate responded.

“He showed that he can bounce back,” Scott said. “I feel like all the perseverance and everything we were going through and him to stay calm and be able to perform in that moment was something great to see.”

Despite giving up the early touchdown, Kite finished the Cal game with the highest coverage grade (68.1) among Auburn’s corners, according to Pro Football Focus. Scott finished with the lowest coverage grade on the team (51.1).

Freeze has mentioned throughout the beginning of the season and fall camp that he wanted to see the young players step up at corner, and that’s even more important when injuries factor in.

Scott, Kite and Kayin Lee were the only corners who played against Cal, showing that the rotation at that position is still tight.

“It’s a lot of pressure on that secondary right now. We’re thin, really thin,” Freeze said.

Kite is who the staff called on most often at corner, but he’s not the only young player in the secondary to see increased playing time. Freshman safety Kaleb Harris had the third-highest coverage grade on the team against Cal, trailing linebacker Austin Keys and fellow safety Jerrin Thompson.

Harris played just two less snaps than starter Caleb Wooden and the second-most snaps of any non-starter on defense behind Kite. He finished the Cal game with a 69.1 coverage grade and 70.4 overall defensive grade.

Despite Harris being a freshman, he already brings a reassuring presence to his teammates on defense.

“He’s acting like he’s been here for a couple of years,” linebacker Dorian Mausi Jr. told reporters Tuesday. “Sometimes when I’m on the field if I’m confused, I look to him and I trust in him that he knows what he’s doing because he’s put the time in to really understand this defense and it shows.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m