Auburn Football: Grading Each Positional Unit at Halfway Point of the Season
AUBURN, Ala. — This week, the defending SEC champions are at a crossroads.
The Auburn Tigers have not completely found the same stride against highly ranked teams that they had toward the end of 2013, but Auburn is still a SEC and College Football Playoff contender at 5-1 through the first half of the season.
Although there has been a stronger emphasis on the passing game and a wealth of returning talent, Auburn's offense is below the pace it set last season in head coach Gus Malzahn's return to the Plains. Meanwhile, the Tiger defense is playing some of its best ball since the days Tommy Tuberville roamed the sidelines at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
With an important off week between the 38-23 loss to new No. 1 Mississippi State and the rest of a brutal schedule—all three of Auburn's remaining road games are against teams currently ranked in the Top 10—it's a good time to review each positional unit at this point in the campaign.
I have handed out midterm grades for each position, and while Auburn has continued its run as one of the country's best teams, there is definitely room for improvement across the field. Take a look at the following grades and post your own report card for the Tigers in the comments section below.
Quarterbacks
1 of 9
Senior Nick Marshall has definitely improved as a passer from last season, although he took a step back against Mississippi State with two interceptions and a completion percentage of less than 50 percent. Marshall still has a habit of getting into some nasty cold streaks throwing the ball, often missing several receivers in a row, and the Tigers need to figure out a way to cut down on his tipped passes.
Marshall's skill in Auburn's read-option game continues to be his most deadly asset, and he has used it to burn several teams this season. In 2013, he recorded four games with at least 100 rushing yards—and through six games in 2014 Marshall has already matched that mark.
The dual-threat star looks more comfortable in both phases of the offense this season, but inconsistency and inaccuracy have held him back from being one of the best weapons in college football. However, Marshall is still a great player with one of the nation's best backups in Jeremy Johnson, and there is still time for him to get back to peak performance in the Auburn offense.
Grade: B
Running Backs
2 of 9
Senior Cameron Artis-Payne has proven to be a solid replacement for Tre Mason, getting more yardage through the first half of the season than the new St. Louis Ram had at this point last year. Auburn's rushing attack, ranked No. 15 nationally, has been held in check away from home against two strong defenses, and the Tigers will need more out of their top back in upcoming trips to Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama.
The low number of carries for fellow senior Corey Grant has been a concern. The speed specialist has not hit the double-digit mark in touches since the San Jose State game, but offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said the staff is going to figure out more creative ways to get Grant the ball during this off week.
True freshman Roc Thomas showcased his impressive talent against Mississippi State by seemingly taking over Grant's role behind Artis-Payne. After the Tigers put a huge emphasis on Artis-Payne through the first few games of the season, expect them to improve on their decent start to the season by using more of Grant, Thomas and even redshirt freshman Peyton Barber to keep defenses off balance.
Grade: B-
Wide Receivers
3 of 9
What a difference a superstar can make for a unit that was quiet for most of last season.
Junior college transfer D'haquille "Duke" Williams continues to make highlight-reel catches in his first—and probably only—season at Auburn. With junior Sammie Coates' season affected by injury and a few missed opportunities, Williams has taken over the top receiver role for the Tigers with his mix of size, speed and top-of-the-line ball skills.
Quan Bray and Ricardo Louis have shown flashes behind Williams and Coates, with each player recording a pair of receiving touchdowns through the first half of the season. There is still an issue with a few drops and potential catches that look like they would be completed with a little extra effort, but Auburn's receiving corps has taken the next step this season.
Grade: A-
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Tight Ends/H-Backs
4 of 9
C.J. Uzomah is reliable for a catch or two each game, and the coaching staff has come up with a few creative ways to get the senior involved in the pass attack near the end zone. Uzomah already has two touchdowns this season and was named to the midseason watch list for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation's top tight end at the end of the year.
But this position group is known more in Malzahn's offense for what it does in the rushing attack. Senior Brandon Fulse has taken most of the snaps at the H-back position, and he hasn't been the most reliable blocker for the Tigers this season. Auburn seems to be missing the talents of Jay Prosch, who cleared the way up front for the nation's top ground game.
True freshman offensive lineman Braden Smith, who received unanimous praise and intimidating nicknames from his teammates during fall camp, could be a promising H-back in short-yardage sets for Auburn. Smith might be the player to help set things off for a unit that has had an average start to the 2014 season.
Grade: C+
Offensive Line
5 of 9
Even with the lower production in road games this season, Auburn's offense is still producing close to 500 yards per game, and the offensive line continues to be one of the reasons why the Tigers still fill up the stat sheets.
A starting lineup shuffle following the preseason injury to Alex Kozan didn't seem to knock the line completely off its game, and the Tigers continued their good play against LSU when Devonte Danzey came into the lineup after Patrick Miller's injury. Auburn will evaluate if Danzey will stay in the starting five this week.
Mississippi State's defensive line exposed some weaknesses in a line with only three returning starters. A few key mistakes by individual linemen have kept the hurry-up, no-huddle attack from firing on all cylinders in some games. While this unit is not at the A-plus level it was at last season, it is far from a weak link on an offense that could use some improvement all across the depth chart.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
6 of 9
The strength of Auburn's defensive resurgence this season definitely has come from its front four, a rotating bunch of veteran players and breakout stars.
Junior college transfer DaVonte Lambert has been the MVP of the unit so far this season, leading the team in sacks and tying with sophomore standout Montravius Adams for most tackles for loss. The line has done some of Auburn's best work in years in getting penetration on early downs and runs from opposing running backs.
The only area holding this unit back is the Tigers' lack of a four-man pass rush on third downs. Between all the experience and talent Auburn has along the defensive line, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and defensive line coach Rodney Garner still haven't found the right formula for quarterback pressure without the injured Carl Lawson.
Grade: A
Linebackers
7 of 9
The offseason switch of positions between Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost has definitely paid off, with both players looking more comfortable at their new spots in Johnson's 4-2-5 system this season.
McKinzy is a close second on the team in total tackles this season, and Frost is not that far behind at fifth. While Johnson still harps on his defense's blown assignments, the mistakes decreased significantly this season thanks to the leadership of McKinzy and Frost down the middle of the defense.
The two experienced players dominate the number of snaps at linebacker, but a number of role players, including true freshman Tre' Williams and former "Star" safety Justin Garrett, have filled in well behind the duo. Although missed tackles and poor positioning creep up from time to time, Auburn's linebackers are starting to find their stride in a unique system.
Grade: A-
Defensive Backs
8 of 9
When senior and longtime starter Jermaine Whitehead was suspended indefinitely prior to the Kansas State game, some uneasiness crept into the minds of Auburn fans about the Tigers' secondary.
However, the pass defense has continued to impress without Whitehead as the veteran presence of Jonathon Mincy, the returning leadership of Josh Holsey and the breakout performance of Johnathan "Rudy" Ford—the team's surprising leader in tackles—have helped the Tigers improve from 102nd last season to their current ranking of 36th in passing yards allowed per game.
That being said, Auburn still struggled early this season in allowing big plays through the air and making sure tackles against bigger receivers. If the secondary can cut down on its mental mistakes and an increasing number of pass interference calls in conference games, then this unit could be on its way to one of its best seasons in quite some time.
Grade: B
Special Teams
9 of 9
Redshirt freshman Daniel Carlson has hit 10 of his 13 field goals this season while hitting all 29 of his extra-point attempts. Although he has failed to hit a couple of easier tries, none of his misses has really affected the outcome of Auburn's games—the newcomer has had a decent debut on the offensive side of his duties.
Carlson's punting average since a fantastic season opener against Arkansas has dipped by more than 10 yards, bringing it down to No. 52 nationally at 42.27 yards per game. Auburn has used Australian punter Matthew Shiel and redshirt freshman Jimmy Hutchinson a few times this season, so the Tigers have depth if they worry about Carlson wearing out his leg doing double duty.
On returns, teams are starting to punt away from Bray after his school record-breaking start to the season. The Tigers are still trying to find a permanent playmaker to line up alongside Grant on kick returns, but, other than the late fumble by Ricardo Louis against Mississippi State, that part of Auburn's game hasn't helped or hurt this season.
Grade: B
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.
Justin Ferguson is Bleacher Report's lead Auburn writer. Follow him on Twitter @JFergusonAU.
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