Auburn Football: What You Should and Shouldn't Be Concerned About After Week 2

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn's 2-0 start to the season may look pretty in the box scores, but it has been far from perfect.

The Tigers opened their highly anticipated 2014 season with a pair of comfortable home victories—a 24-point win against SEC West foe Arkansas and a 46-point rout of San Jose State.

But as always, there are several areas head coach Gus Malzahn and his staff are concerned with at this point in the young season.

The defending SEC champions had several major questions heading into the early part of the campaign, and a few of them still linger heading into the season's first bye week.

With 10 days to go before No. 5 Auburn's nationally televised Thursday night showdown with No. 20 Kansas State, let's take a look at three things fans should be concerned about and three things they shouldn't be concerned about from the Tigers' first two home wins.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT

1. Nick Marshall's Passing

Because of his suspension and backup Jeremy Johnson's fantastic first-half performance against Arkansas, senior quarterback Nick Marshall has only played five quarters so far this season.

But those five quarters haven't shown the passing improvement that Marshall's coaches said he made over this offseason.

Game	Completions	Attempts	Completion %	Yards
vs. Arkansas	4	6	66.7	50
vs. San Jose State	10	19	52.6	101

Marshall is still the same game-changing weapon on the read option he was last season—and Auburn could very well compete for the SEC and national titles again on the back of that dominance with the run—but some of the play calls against San Jose State showed Malzahn wants to see more success through the air.

The Tigers do not need for Marshall to become a gunslinger who throws it for 300 or more yards every game, but icy stretches like he had in the second quarter with five straight incompletions could be a major problem against SEC defenses. 

Auburn has a wealth of talent at wide receiver with Sammie Coates (who should be back for the Kansas State game, per AL.com's Brandon Marcello), D'haquille Williams, Melvin Ray and Ricardo Louis, but they are going to need their starting quarterback to step up and rebound from a weak passing performance against San Jose State.

2. Fumbles

Ball security was a problem for the Auburn offense last season, and the first two games haven't shown any improvement.

In fact, while Auburn was fortunate to recover the majority of their fumbles last season, they lost three of four against Arkansas and San Jose State. The Tigers rank near the bottom nationally in both fumbles and fumbles lost through the first two weeks of the season.

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Marshall's fumble at the end of what would have been a 50-yard rushing touchdown to open last Saturday's game was particularly troublesome for the Auburn offense, and the quarterback said he is ready to correct his mistake and move forward.

"It was tough because ball security is something we always work on," Marshall said after the San Jose State game. "It was at the last second, when I was about to celebrate, that he punched it out. Being a quarterback, you have to have a short memory, to put it behind you and play the next play."

Auburn's coaches stressed ball security throughout the offseason, and limiting turnovers will be crucial heading into the Kansas State game and the meat of the SEC schedule. Lost possessions weren't difference-makers against the Razorbacks and the Spartans, but tougher opponents might be able to feast on them.

3. Lack of a Dominant Pass-Rusher

Without first-round NFL draft pick Dee Ford or the injured Carl Lawson, Auburn hasn't had the easiest time getting to the quarterback through its first two games of the season.

"We definitely need to get better at pass rush," Malzahn said last week. "If you think back to this time last year, it was real similar and we got better each week. That's what we're working really hard to do."

Auburn showed some improvement against San Jose State with four sacks and several more hurries of Blake Jurich, but only time will tell if the performance was more about Auburn improving or San Jose State being so far behind in talent, especially on a young offensive line. The defense only had one sack against Arkansas and its massive offensive line.

Fortunately, the Tigers look like they have a couple of potential answers ahead of the trip to Manhattan.

Sophomore Montravius Adams had a career night against the Spartans with six tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack, and the athletic 300-pounder took snaps at both tackle and end. Starting middle linebacker Cassanova McKinzy is also an option in some third-down packages, giving Auburn more athleticism off the edge.

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WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE CONCERNED ABOUT

1. Special Teams Play

Auburn lost key starters on both offense and defense, but the biggest change from 2013 to 2014 was in the special teams unit, which had to replace a starting kicker, punter, holder, punt returner and kick returners.

Through two games, the Tigers have shown the special teams consistency they have been known for the last few seasons. 

Redshirt freshman Daniel Carlson has been an early star, handling kicking, punting and kickoff duties without any major problems. Carlson won the SEC Freshman of the Week award after his impressive all-around debut against Arkansas:

"That was one of those things that was affecting my stress level going into the first game with a new kicker, who happens to punt, and he’s a freshman," Malzahn said during his weekly Tiger Talk radio show last Monday. "But he handled himself like a champ."

Senior Quan Bray has shown an impressive first step in his return to punt return duties, and he recorded his first special teams touchdown in the second quarter of the San Jose State game. Bray ranks third nationally in average yards per return with 28.67 and is one of 14 players to take back a punt for six points so far this season.

2. New Offensive Line Starters

The entire left side of Auburn's dominant offensive line from a year ago is gone—tackle Greg Robinson is now playing on Sundays for the St. Louis Rams, while guard Alex Kozan misses the entire 2014 campaign after back surgery.

But Auburn's veteran front five has not missed a beat with the preseason shuffle.

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Even with Shon Coleman holding down a new starting spot, senior Chad Slade flipping back to left guard, Avery Young moving inside to right guard and Patrick Miller returning to his old role as starting right tackle, the Tigers' offense is still lightning up the scoreboard.

Auburn is seventh nationally in total rushing yards with 660 and is tied for eighth in sacks allowed with just one through the first two games.

There were plenty of preseason doubts about how Coleman would fill Robinson's spot on the depth chart and how the position changes could keep the offense from playing to its full potential. The Tigers' attack has had hiccups, but you can't point the finger at any of the five offensive linemen through two solid games.

3. Replacing Tre Mason

Malzahn might still view Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant as the co-starters at running back, but Auburn seems to already have its replacement for former Heisman Trophy finalist Tre Mason.

Artis-Payne has taken over the between-the-tackles, every-down role Mason carved out for himself midway through last season, while Grant continues to be a big-play threat on sweeps and outside runs by rushing for 8.8 yards per touch.

The Tigers also have a bit more depth at the running back position behind the two seniors. While Mason, Artis-Payne and Grant were the only key rushers alongside Marshall last season, Auburn now has a pair of freshmen who have game experience.

Peyton Barber got a few touches on the final drive of the Arkansas game, and Roc Thomas took the reins late in the San Jose State game. Thomas' first career carry was a short touchdown run, and he gave fans a glimpse of the agility and tackle-breaking abilities that made him a coveted in-state prospect.

While the Auburn offense continues to put more of an emphasis on throwing the ball, the base of Malzahn's attack continues to be the deadly run game, even without Mason. If these backs can hold onto the football, fans could be in for another record-breaking season on the Plains.

Justin Ferguson is Bleacher Report's lead Auburn writer. Follow him on Twitter @JFergusonAU. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.