Duke Williams out for Outback Bowl Hurts Auburn, but His Return in 2015 Is Huge

Gus Malzahn delivered some good news and bad news Monday morning in Tampa.

In expected fashion, the bad news came first.

"Duke Williams will not play," Malzahn said at an Outback Bowl joint press conference with Wisconsin bowl coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez, per the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer's Ryan Black. "He has been suspended for breaking team rules."

The junior wide receiver's status had been up in the air after he did not practice during the Tigers' bowl preparations in Auburn and arrived late to Tampa over the weekend.

But, in his next sentence, Malzahn delivered good news on Williams' status past the Outback Bowl.

"He is planning on coming back next year," Malzahn said, per Black. "That's the reason he's here."

As Auburn's leading receiver and one of the SEC's best wideouts in the 2014 season, Williams had flirted with declaring for the NFL draft after just one year on the Plains.

On Monday afternoon, Williams made it clear where he will be in 2015:

Williams' suspension, which Malzahn refused to comment further on Monday, will be a solid blow to Auburn's offense against Wisconsin.

The Tigers are coming off their best offensive performance of the season against No. 1 Alabama, thanks in part to Williams' play. 

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Quarterback Nick Marshall threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns against the Crimson Tide, and while Williams didn't score in Tuscaloosa, his presence opened up one-on-one opportunities for vertical threat Sammie Coates.

For the majority of the 2014 season, the former junior college star was the intermediate-route threat Marshall was missing in 2013, and Williams pulled off spectacular catch after spectacular catch for his new team.

When Williams missed the Georgia and Samford games with a leg injury, the Tigers offense was held to fewer than 200 passing yards and only had one touchdown through the air.

In the Outback Bowl, Auburn will face one of the nation's stiffest past defenses in Wisconsin without the talents of its No. 1 target:

Category	Statistic	FBS Rank
Yards Allowed per Game	164.3	5th
Opponent Completion Percentage	47.5%	1st
Touchdowns Allowed	13	12th
Yards Allowed per Attempt	6.6	35th

However, Malzahn said he was confident the Tigers would be able to move the ball against the Badgers without Williams.

"We've got some veteran guys that we can move around," Malzahn said, per Black. "Ricardo Louis, C.J [Uzomah], Melvin [Ray], they all three will have a role in taking his place... We have guys we feel very good about that are veteran guys that have made plays for us the last two years. We have a plan and we feel good about it."

While he will be held out of the game due to the suspension, Williams still traveled down to Tampa and returned to practice Sunday—so he could help Auburn's defense prepare for Wisconsin's passing game.

"I thought it was important that he's on the scout team," Malzahn said. "He's acting as Wisconsin's top receiver. So I felt like that was the right thing to do."

After the New Year's Day bowl, Williams will turn his attention to directly helping Auburn win games and contend for championships in 2015.

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While the NFL-bound Coates and senior Quan Bray are playing in their final collegiate games against Wisconsin, Auburn's receiving corps will not lose all three of its starters for next season thanks to Williams' return.

Instead of rebuilding its entire passing game with a new starting quarterback and three new starting receivers, Williams will be a preseason All-SEC candidate who could make sure the Tigers' passing game keeps improving under Malzahn.

"Duke opens it more for everybody, because he tends to make big plays when big plays are needed," Bray said earlier this season.

Not only was Williams the Tigers' top receiver in 2014, he could make the claim as the Tigers' best receiver over the last few seasons.

Williams was the first Auburn receiver to average more than 70 yards per game since Darvin Adams in 2009, and his 45 catches are the most in a single season for an Auburn receiver since Emory Blake in 2011.

His season of experience and top-level talent through the air gives Auburn's offense an extra layer of security in what will be an offseason of transition.

And with more of a pass-first quarterback destined to take control of the offense in 2015, Williams just might make the Tigers a national title contender once again.

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.